Trust and Credibility in the U.S. Federal Statistical System

Abstract

The U.S. Federal Statistical System (FSS) is searching for ways to ensure high quality data in surveys, given declines in response rates and the associated increase in operational costs. They are searching for ways to address problems with public trust in the government, if these issues could hinder their efforts. To address these concerns, the Census Bureau partnered with other federal statistical agencies to collect data to assess attitudes, beliefs, and concerns the public may have regarding federal statistics and the agencies that collect them. This public opinion data enables the FSS to better understand public perceptions, and provides guidance for communicating with the public and for future planning of data collection. This paper examines the impact of various factors on trust in the FSS, including attitudes (belief in credibility and transparency of federal statistics), and behavior (use of federal statistics). This research supports Brackfield and Fellegi’s model of trust in official statistics by providing evidence of a significant relationship between credibility of statistical products and trust in statistics more generally (Brackfield 2011; Fellegi, 1996, 2004, 2010). These data also suggest that promoting trust in statistical products could lead towards increased trust in the agencies that produce them.