Federal Statistical Agencies Praised for Pandemic Response

The first half of 2020 was a busy time for the federal statistical system, requiring quick responses and nimble adaptability from agencies on several fronts. Here’s a quick recap of some of the issues, courtesy of Count on Stats—the ASA public relations campaign to raise public trust and confidence in government statistics.

Statistical Agencies Find New Ways to Work

When novel coronavirus hit the US early this year, statistical agencies needed to react quickly to provide timely data in the ongoing crisis. It became clear that agencies working in isolation with past tools would not be sufficient, however, so employees across agencies worked to form new collaborations, which allowed them to produce the research needed to help the public and policymakers understand the pandemic’s effects.

For example, five agencies—Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic Research Service, Department of Housing and Urban Development, National Center for Education Statistics, and National Center for Health Statistics—worked with the Census Bureau and Office of Management and Budget to contribute COVID-19 questions on employment, health and wellness, and distance learning to the weekly household and small business pulse surveys. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics also began tracking the movement of people and goods during the pandemic and digitized its Transportation Economic Trends with interactive tools that highlight transportation’s role in the newly altered economy.

Efforts such as these have received widespread praise in the community. Paul Schroeder, executive director of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, extolled the agencies’ adaptability and innovation during challenging times following the council’s quarterly meeting that featured updates from the federal statistical agency heads. The Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee approved a resolution applauding the diligence of those who rose to the occasion to provide accurate and timely economic statistical information.

Although additional congressional funding will be needed to sustain these types of quick turnaround surveys, the pandemic has shown the full potential of the federal statistical system to adapt and provide timely data in an ongoing crisis.

BJS Data Contributes to National Conversation on Policing

In June, nationwide protests about police violence against communities of color erupted after the deaths of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers. With the protests came a nearly 10-fold spike in Google searches for information about the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Journalists used BJS data to place policing-related issues into the broader context of systemic racism. BJS reports cited in media coverage include the following:

Arrest-Related Deaths Program Redesign Study, 2015–16: Preliminary Findings

Contacts Between Police and the Public, 2015

Police Use of Nonfatal Force, 2002–11

Prisoners in 2018

Full-Time Employees in Law Enforcement Agencies, 1997–2016

BJS is one of nine non-Census federal statistical agencies currently operating on an inflation-adjusted decade of underfunding. According to an ASA analysis, BJS is down 30 percent in purchasing power since FY09.

Economists, Journalists Address BLS Employment Misclassification

When the May jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics included a supplement reporting the true unemployment rate was likely a few points higher than the reported rate of 13.3 percent—due to an error stemming from COVID-19-related methodological problems—journalists took note. In response, economists publicly defended the integrity of BLS data and the transparency in its reporting. For example, former BLS Commissioner Erica Groshen wrote an essay for the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research titled, “Will the True Unemployment Rate Please Stand Up? Misclassification in the May 2020 Jobs Report,” and Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute wrote an article for the National Review titled, “The Jobs Numbers Weren’t Fraudulent.” Groshen also presented a webinar at the National Press Foundation, Understanding the Jobs Report, organized by Count on Stats staff.