Skip to main content

Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency Seventh Edition (2021) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:

Practice 1: A Clearly Defined and Well-Accepted Mission
Pages 49-52

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 49...
... . A statistical agency's mission includes its responsibility to: • produce and disseminate relevant and timely statistical information; • conduct credible and accurate statistical activities; • conduct objective statistical activities; and • protect the trust of information providers by ensuring the confidentiality and exclusive statistical use of their responses.1 These responsibilities should be so ingrained into agency staff during their training and through the procedures and practices they follow that they become part of the culture of the agency.
Read the entire page →
From page 50...
... Departments with federal statistical agencies have the responsibility to support and facilitate statistical agencies carrying out their mission and should not impose nonstatistical activities on them.2 A statistical agency should publicly communicate its mission and disseminate its statistical information and associated documentation on its website and other appropriate venues. The website should also provide information about enabling legislation, the scope of the agency's statistical programs, confidentiality provisions, and data quality guidelines.
Read the entire page →
From page 51...
... PRACTICE 1: A CLEARLY DEFINED AND WELL-ACCEPTED MISSION 51 (see Practice 6) , and an agency may need to eliminate or cut back an existing program in favor of a new initiative to better meet its mission (see Practices 5 and 9)
Read the entire page →

Key Terms

  • statistical activities
  • statistical purposes
  • nonstatistical activities
  • associated documentation
  • relative urgency

  • confidentiality provisions
  • work beyond
  • threaten public
  • actions affecting
  • appropriate venues

  • beyond statistical
  • statistical agencies
  • versus accuracy
  • activities threaten
  • conduct objective

  • periodically review
  • collecting information
  • federal statistical
  • accurate statistical
  • conduct credible

  • administrative actions
  • statistical information
  • agencies carrying
  • tical programs
  • impose nonstatistical

  • facilitate statistical
  • resist external
  • quality guidelines
  • tistical activities
  • mission includes


    • This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
    More information on Chapter Skim is available.