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Introduction
Through the Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies, the OECD is working with other organisations to launch an international survey on ‘What people know about the progress of societies’.
Statistical information plays a vital role in shaping the expectations and behaviour of individuals, the operation of markets and the democratic process. Much less attention has been paid to what people - including politicians and government officials - actually know about the situation of their country and how such knowledge (or ignorance) influences public debate and policies. Recent literature on the relationships between public opinion, political choices and the functioning of modern democracies argues there are big differences in what society at large thinks and knows about key issues and the views of specialists, such as economists. This can have a serious negative consequence for democracy. It can lead to confusion and fragmentation in voting, a withdrawal from political participation, or even the abandonment of facts or evidence-based knowledge as the basis for policy making and public decisions.
International Survey on ‘What People Know’
To address this concern, the OECD is promoting the idea of launching an International Survey on ‘What People Know about the Progress of Societies’. This survey will investigatel what people know about key economic, social and environmental progress. Its results could shed light on the effectiveness of official statistics in an information society and their use in decision-making processes. Moreover, the survey could provide some valuable clues for strengthening the statistics-knowledge-policy value chain.
Partners and survey results
Thus far the IFO Institute, the European Commission , the Istituto di Studi e Analisi Economica and the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan are working together with the OECD on this initiative. They will include questions in their regular surveys examining both people’s knowledge of key figures for their country and the extent to which public debate is based on solid statistical evidence. Results of the survey will be presented at the World Forum in Istanbul. Shortly thereafter, a discussion to establish a regular international survey will be launched with interested parties.
First Results from Italy on What People Know About Progress
The Italian Research Institute for Economic Analyses (ISAE) carried out a first survey in the first week of March 2007, adding some specific questions to the questionnaire normally used in their monthly survey on Italian consumers. In particular, the additional questions concerned the extent to which consumers know the official statistics concerning GDP growth, inflation rate, unemployment rate and the ratio public deficit/GDP, the channels by which they receive this type of information, the importance of knowing this information and the desire of being more informed.
The full results are here.
Is public policy debate based on adequate statistics?
In January 2007, the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research and the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) surveyed 700 economic experts from over 80 countries within the CESifo World Economic Survey on the special question, whether the statistical information available for public and political decision making was adequate and whether more evidence was needed to provide a more holistic view of progress across countries .
1) "While main economic indicators, such as GDP, inflation and public finance statistics (governmental debt) are usually well established, the political debates on environmental aspects, knowledge economy (research and education), as well as social conditions tend not to be well grounded on statistical evidence around the world"
2) "In general, in the majority of countries the official report and the official website providing information on a country’s progress was judged to be not entirely satisfactory".
Look at the full report.
Graphic on "Public Debate and Statistical Evidence"
Additional information
For more information please contact us by e-mail. You might also want to check some important work in the area of what people know:
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