Review of pre-release access in Scotland
An independent review of the practice of allowing pre-release access (PRA) to official statistics ahead of publication in Scotland.
Methodology
We undertook a four-phase methodology to meet the aims of this review. Each of the four phases is described in detail below. The four phases were delivered sequentially, with each phase of the review informing the next.
- Phase 1: Desk based research and scoping
- Phase 2: Stageholder engagement
- Phase 3: Public engagement
- Phase 4: Options paper
Ethical approval for the review was granted by the National Centre for Social Research Ethics Committee on 3rd April 2025.
Phase 1: Desk based research and scoping
Desk-based research to understand public trust
This element of the project involved a review of published research on public trust in official statistics and secondary analysis of data from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey and the UK Statistics Authority’s Public Confidence in Official Statistics (PCOS) survey. Analysis was carried out on the BSA and PCOS data to explore trends in public trust and differences between Scotland and the rest of Britain as well as demographic differences in levels of trust and reasons for lack of trust. All analysis was undertaken in SPSS using weighted data and is based on frequencies and crosstabulations.
Understanding UK statistical policy, key stakeholders and decisions made by Office for National Statistics and Welsh Government
This phase involved a brief review of the literature and published information regarding current pre-release arrangements in the different devolved Governments, as well as the international context. During this phase, we also undertook brief scoping conversations with relevant representatives from key stakeholder organisations including Scottish Government Office of the Chief Statistician (OCS), the UKSA, the ONS and their equivalents in the Welsh Government to explore and understand the background, processes and drivers for their current positions on PRA.
Phase 2: Stakeholder engagement
Interviews and small focus groups were carried out with stakeholders who use or work with pre-release access as part of their role. This included Special Advisers and those working in statistics production, policy and communications both within and outwith the Scottish Government. It should be noted that there is a wider range of stakeholders who may have experience of, or be impacted by any changes to, PRA such as those working in the UK and develoved governments, ONS, opposition parties and the media. However, engaging with this wider stakeholder group was beyond the scope of this review.
A total of 38 participants took part in the interviews and focus groups. Table 1.0 below shows the numbers of participants from each group.
| Stakeholder group | Number of participants |
|---|---|
| Representatives from ministerial offices and Special Advisers | 5 |
| Statistics producers from relevant government depts and other public bodies (including Statisticians and Analysts) | 18 |
| Press and communications professionals from a range of teams | 7 |
| Policy professionals from a range of teams | 8 |
Contact details for potential participants were shared with the research team by the contract manager at the Office of the Chief Statistician. Additional participants were recruited by snowballing techniques and using the research team’s own networks. All participants were given an information sheet and privacy notice with full information about the project, what their involvement would entail and how their data would be used and stored.
All interviews and focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analysed in NVivo 12 using an analytical framework and using a mixed deductive/inductive approach to thematic analysis.
Phase 3: Public engagement
This phase involved engaging with a group of 7 members of the public through an online discussion session. Individuals were recruited by Criteria, a specialist recruitment agency, and the sample was designed to recruit individuals from those demographic groups which are identified through the desk review as having the lowest trust in official statistics, namely those who are working in semi-routine and routine roles, unemployed or retired and those who rent their homes.
All potential participants were provided with an information sheet and privacy notice which outlined details of the research. Participants received a £40 incentive to take part in the discussion.
The discussion session included a brief introduction to the project including some accessible background information on the statistical system, the current pre-release process and a presentation of the potential options for changes to the pre-release arrangements. This was interspersed with group discussion exploring the effect that each of these options would have on participants’ levels of trust, any questions or concerns that they have about the different options and their preferences in terms of the options to be considered.
The session was audio-recorded and transcribed, and the key themes from the discussion were used in the development of the options paper.
Phase 4: Options paper
Following the review of the first draft of the options paper, an internal validation session for key stakeholders within the Office of the Chief Statistician was held to identify any further potential challenges with certain options which have not otherwise been identified.