New results from @natcen.bsky.social's British Social Attitudes survey show UK attitudes towards immigration are more divided than in the recent past. It's now a clean split where a third of people perceive it as 'bad', a third as 'good,' and a third have a neutral attitude towards it.

Poor ONS, their surveys are already suffering from non-response and now the BBC goes and puts it into our heads that their enumerators could be corporate spies 😅 blog.ons.gov.uk/2026/02/12/s...

Interesting and reminds me of similar findings from a recent study on migration. Using the exact same dataset, researchers who expressed different personal views about immigration came up with different results which tended to support their pre-existing beliefs. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Latest piece by @georginasturge.bsky.social is a masterclass in why we should be cautious with 'trend' headlines. The supposed 'Quiet Revival' of Christianity in Gen Z looks less like a spiritual shift & more like a quirk of polling methodology. georginasturge.substack.com/p/the-gen-z-...

I actually didn’t realise the Bible Society had doubled down. There may have been a modest rise in young religiosity but we’re talking a percentage point or two. There is just no way the much higher BS poll results are accurate, sorry! BBC More or Less has been on it, case closed.

This is really interesting for polling nerds.

I only recently found out about the Gen Z 'Christian revival,' where seemingly legitimate polls are showing a quadrupling of church attendance among young adults. Naturally, I had to look into the data myself, and found a more mixed picture than I'd expected. open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

Well this is going to kick off, albeit in a nerdy train-spotter way. Dutch Railways have just signed a 12 year contract with an American tech provider, while the rest of the public sector is under strict instructions to ensure digital autonomy for critical infrastructure. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...

I only recently found out about the Gen Z 'Christian revival,' where seemingly legitimate polls are showing a quadrupling of church attendance among young adults. Naturally, I had to look into the data myself, and found a more mixed picture than I'd expected. open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

Great article by @tomcalver.bsky.social on why income is often a poor indicator of whether someone is in poverty. Income is under-reported in the main survey used for poverty stats. A correction to that could soon shrink our official poverty figures overnight. www.thetimes.com/article/fb88...

Kemi Badenoch's mouse scurrying past live on TV

Looks like we're going with the red, which I do really like. Had some comments that basically all of these could be seen as party political colours but when it's in the bookshop I'm hoping that won't be people's first thought...

You wouldn't think it but a slightly sad basket of tealights and canned sweetcorn in my cellar reveals a lot about the geopolitics of tech. I'm back this week with a piece on Europe's dream of digital sovereignty. Can it happen? And is it what we need? georginasturge.substack.com/p/the-dream-...

I had a good reaction to last month's piece on Dutch digital ID and the risks of takeover by US tech - turns out a lot of people care! In this latest post I look further into whether digital sovereignty for Europe is achievable and what's happening now. georginasturge.substack.com/p/the-dream-...

You wouldn't think it but a slightly sad basket of tealights and canned sweetcorn in my cellar reveals a lot about the geopolitics of tech. I'm back this week with a piece on Europe's dream of digital sovereignty. Can it happen? And is it what we need? georginasturge.substack.com/p/the-dream-...

It’s not too late to advocate for including a question on posh identity at the next census

I had a good reaction to last month's piece on Dutch digital ID and the risks of takeover by US tech - turns out a lot of people care! In this latest post I look further into whether digital sovereignty for Europe is achievable and what's happening now. georginasturge.substack.com/p/the-dream-...

Bumping this to see if anyone else has thoughts because I think I need to make a decision today. Leaning towards keeping the original now...

Got some mock ups of possible new cover designs for the paperback of Sum of Us. Who has thoughts?? Ignore the fact that the map doesn’t blend in properly on some of them, the final design will look neat and perfect. And there are some other tweaks to be made, none of these is the final design.

How do you forecast an election result more accurately than all the professional pollsters? I asked Ben Walker from @britainelects.com and he told me... it's all about using local election microdata. Fascinating stuff in this week's episode of the Talk Data to Me podcast!

I see people reacting smugly to findings like this without necessarily thinking about the fact that reduced trade volumes are also a consequence of tariffs, and still very bad for Europe (and the US). Yes, US consumers absorb price rises but isn't there also a big cost to Europe of lower demand?

Fantastic to have you on the show, Andy! Recommend this as essential listening for anyone curious about impactful ways to visualise data 📊

I asked expert Andy Kirk from @visualisingdata.com about AI and data visualisation and his response was very interesting to hear

This is the tell - polling on digital ID was not in a 'good place.' But quite frankly this government could announce free diamonds for everybody and still be panned in the polls. That digital ID would prevent illegal working was a little shaky - but could well have helped along with other measures.

Digital ID to not be compulsory for any purposes, the government now says. Initial thought is that uptake is likely to be minimal then and the argument for it helping curb illegal working is now DOA. www.thetimes.com/article/0044...

Just to follow up on this for those looking for recommendations of data people in the UK: the starter pack Data and AI Civil Society Network is a really good one to mass follow bsky.app/starter-pack...

The ONS has set out its plans for improving statistics in 2026 which include using more AI and automation for data coding. It also confirms plans to reduce its number of annual outputs by 10% (I take this to include both published datasets and articles). blog.ons.gov.uk/2026/01/12/d...

Have you recently published research that could help shape how migration is understood? 🎙️ If so, we would love to hear your pitch for a slot on the Migration Oxford Podcast. 📅Submit your pitch by 13 February 2026 to be considered. www.compas.ox.ac.uk/article/call...

People often assume there's a right and wrong way to present data in a chart or graphic. But there are many legitimate choices that can mean a telling different stories with the same data. Data viz guru Andy Kirk @visualisingdata.com shared more wisdom with me this week on the podcast this week 📊🔊

I'm super excited to share this video and podcast episode I made with superstar data viz expert Andy Kirk! 🔊🎥📊 I recommend it as a starting point to explore the world of beautiful and insightful data design, which Andy knows everything about. georginasturge.substack.com/p/the-power-...

Is there a starter pack for data/ public policy with a UK focus? Wondering if I should start one.

Love this!

Love this!

Excellent piece about Dutch #digital #ID and grave concerns about who holds control over #data - plus implications for #UK . By @georginasturge.bsky.social . #DigID

I'm happy to see that my article on what's going on with Dutch digital ID has interested a lot of people, and I've now made a... 🔊 Podcast version 🔊 Follow Talk Data to Me on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to get updates right away for new episodes ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/4rOU...

A planned US takeover of critical infrastructure in the Netherlands raises troubling questions for all of us in Europe and the UK. open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

A planned US takeover of critical infrastructure in the Netherlands raises troubling questions for all of us in Europe and the UK. open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

I'm happy to see that my article on what's going on with Dutch digital ID has interested a lot of people, and I've now made a... 🔊 Podcast version 🔊 Follow Talk Data to Me on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to get updates right away for new episodes ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/4rOU...

A longer post from me to start the year: the Dutch are panicking. Their digital ID system will soon fall under the control of an American company and far-reaching US government powers. Why is that such a problem? And what does it mean for the UK? open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

It's no fun to admit this but the UK is on the back foot when it comes to data sovereignty. Europe is arguably in a worse position - but they're starting to do something about it. Are we? My latest piece for Substack: georginasturge.substack.com/p/digital-id...

A longer post from me to start the year: the Dutch are panicking. Their digital ID system will soon fall under the control of an American company and far-reaching US government powers. Why is that such a problem? And what does it mean for the UK? open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

What is the potential impact of the proposed reforms to the UK's asylum system? Some measures, like restricting family reunion, may plausibly deter some people from coming to the UK. Yet the evidence is mixed, and insufficient to say whether any effects will be particularly large.

In its report on the asylum system, released today, the NAO draws attention to some troubling data gaps which still frustrate policymakers from knowing crucial facts about people within the asylum system. www.nao.org.uk/reports/an-a...

New episode of the TDTM podcast just dropped, featuring migration statistics oracle and all-round inspiration Madeleine Sumption from Oxford's @migobs.bsky.social 🔊 Listen to the full episode now on Spotify ⬇️ or Apple Podcasts open.spotify.com/episode/2Buv...

New episode of the TDTM podcast just dropped, featuring migration statistics oracle and all-round inspiration Madeleine Sumption from Oxford's @migobs.bsky.social 🔊 Listen to the full episode now on Spotify ⬇️ or Apple Podcasts open.spotify.com/episode/2Buv...

Today's finally the day! @migobs.bsky.social has published its mega report on migration data gaps. Whatever people's politics, we should all recognise that effective policy making needs good data. And there are areas where we're still falling short. migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

Realised I hadn't actually pressed 'publish' on this but now you can find TDTM on Apple Podcasts! (also available on Spotify) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Are you a remote worker based abroad? Maastricht University's migration specialists would like you to fill out a survey about your work life and ambitions. If eligible, fill it out below - with a chance to win a 50 EUR gift voucher 🤑 maastrichtuniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

In this week's episode, head of the Office for Statistics Regulation Ed Humpherson talks to me about a collapse of trust in statistics and his ideas for how we can find our way out of the crisis. Available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. open.spotify.com/episode/0Uis...

Much as I’m enjoying watching The Beast in Me, I can’t help but be personally offended by what they think lesbians wear