ONS annual stakeholder satisfaction survey

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) runs an annual stakeholder satisfaction survey to understand how stakeholders access, use and value our statistics, analysis and services. 
 
We ran this year’s survey between January and March 2025, and promoted it to professional users and producers of statistics from a range of sectors including public, business, academic and voluntary sectors across the UK. 
 
The stakeholder satisfaction survey asked: 

• how users access and use our statistics 

• how well our statistics meet their needs 

• about awareness and use of ONS’s engagement channels such as newsletters, events and ONS Local 

• about satisfaction with key programmes including improvements to economic and population statistics, the Integrated Data Service (IDS) and the ONS Local service 

We received 155 responses, with 78% from professional sectors. The remainder were those who used statistics for personal use. The most common sectors were local government (21%) and national government departments (14%). Compared to last year, we saw a higher proportion of senior and analytical roles among respondents. 
 
The most common uses of our statistics were for: 

• informing audiences (80 respondents) 

• understanding work-related issues (73 respondents) 

• supporting policy and decision-making (67 respondents) 
   

The four most used statistical topics were population and migration; economic growth and GDP; prices and cost of living; and labour market. These most used topics align with ONS’s priority outputs. 92% of respondents said our statistics met or partially met their needs, which is up five percentage points from last year. 

Responses to the following key stakeholder sentiment questions were asked in 2023/24 and in 2024/25:  

• The ONS fulfils its mission 

• The ONS produces statistics to a high standard 

• The ONS produces statistics relevant to main issues of the day 

• The ONS is a trustworthy organisation 

• The ONS’s statistics reflect the diversity of the country 

In 2024/2025, across these five statements, there was a total 23% increase in respondents who disagreed with the statements, and a 4% increase in those who strongly disagreed. On the last measure, for example, “the ONS's statistics reflect the diversity of the country", there was a 4% decrease in those who strongly agreed or agreed, and a 6% increase in those who disagreed or strongly disagreed.  

Respondents highlighted areas for improvement, which include: 

• data accessibility and website usability 

• more granular and timely data 

• clearer communication and follow-up from consultations 

• better planning and prioritisation of data releases 

Respondents’ feedback on our engagement channels showed that webinars and feedback questionnaires were the most used and valued. Respondents also expressed a desire for more consistent and accessible engagement opportunities, as well as clear communications on the actions taken as a result of their feedback. 
 
Awareness of ONS Local rose to 39% (up 18% among professional users between this year and last), with most users accessing webinars or seeking advice. Satisfaction with the service was high, particularly among local government users – one of the main target audiences for this service. 
 
Awareness of improvements to economic and population statistics and awareness of the Integrated Data Service (IDS) also increased. While some stakeholders expressed a desire for more timely and granular data, many recognised the potential benefits of these developments to support their work. 

The insights from this year’s survey are helping us shape our stakeholder engagement strategy and inform our work across the organisation. We are: 

• feeding these findings into the development of a refreshed user engagement strategy for the ONS 

• strengthening how we coordinate engagement through ONS stakeholder leads 

• improving how we plan, coordinate and respond to consultations and user feedback 

• continuing our ambitious website transformation so it better meets users’ needs to find, understand, explore and act upon our statistics. This includes releasing website prototypes to gather user feedback on the proposed designs 

We would like to thank everyone who took part in the survey. Your feedback is vital in helping us improve our services and ensure we continue to meet the needs of our users and stakeholders. 
 
If you would like to discuss the findings or have any questions, please contact the ONS External Affairs team at: external.affairs@ons.gov.uk.