Love this!

Love this!

Just dropped off a John Snow map to someone in Broad(wick) Street, which felt a bit like delivering ice to the Titanic (but in a good way!) 3dartmaps.etsy.com/listing/4300...

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

Wow. After just 2 years of ChatGPT, there is more AI-generated than human-generated content on the internet. Reported in the FT www.ft.com/content/ae15...

New statistics out today show overall net migration continuing to fall to 204,000 in the year ending June 2025, from a peak of 944,000 in 2023. The fall is largely from tighter rules on managed migration, while asylum applications reached their highest level on record. tinyurl.com/44p93kvm

This valuable research on US tech company Palantir is essential reading for anyone interested in data governance in the UK.

Does the Chancellor have good enough information to make the important decisions that will shape this week's budget? That's the question I put to economist Jonathan Portes in the very first episode of new podcast Talk Data to Me ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/6Txz...

I'm thrilled to announce that Talk Data to Me now has a podcast. My first guest is Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics at Kings, who talked to me about recent problems with UK economic data & budget challenges for the Chancellor. Available to listen now 🔊 open.spotify.com/episode/6Txz...

I'm very pleased to share this invitation to this year's Migration Statistics User Forum, which I'll be chairing on 11 December (11:00 to 16:00). It's a great opportunity to directly question the producers of statistics. And it's online and free. Join us! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/migration-...

Nice and clear explainer from the ONS on the changes made to their migration methods today: blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/11/18/u...

New migration estimates released today reflect major updates to the ONS's methods. Main takeaways: * Past British emigration underestimated * EU emigration overestimated * New net migration peak of 944,000 in 2022-23, followed by bigger fall than previously thought www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...

Could Denmark be a role model for the UK on asylum? This is worth a read if you want to understand the basic challenges each country faces and how well the same approach could copy over. georginasturge.substack.com/p/fortress-o...

Also curious to know if anyone has a source for this. I'm seeing it in virtually every news item on Denmark and asylum.

The 2031 UK census is going ahead after all and the public now has an opportunity to shape how it looks. What do you think should be asked in the census that isn't in there already? Or are there too many questions as it is? georginasturge.substack.com/p/if-you-cou...

Now that the 2031 UK census is going ahead, the ONS has to decide what's going to be in it. For that they've asked the public to submit ideas for new questions. Could this be a terrible idea? And what would you like to know about 70 million people? georginasturge.substack.com/p/if-you-cou...

Now that the 2031 UK census is going ahead, the ONS has to decide what's going to be in it. For that they've asked the public to submit ideas for new questions. Could this be a terrible idea? And what would you like to know about 70 million people? georginasturge.substack.com/p/if-you-cou...

The Spectator's Michael Simmons has gathered lots of recent examples of bad data together in this eye-opening piece. www.spectator.co.uk/article/data...

Why do people *not* respond to the Labour Force Survey? For a while the biggest problem was thought to be failure to make contact with the sampled households. New data suggests by far the bigger problem - arguably more worrying - is people knowing they've been invited but refusing to take part.

Why do people *not* respond to the Labour Force Survey? For a while the biggest problem was thought to be failure to make contact with the sampled households. New data suggests by far the bigger problem - arguably more worrying - is people knowing they've been invited but refusing to take part.

Household surveys are vitally important to public policy but response rates are in crisis. Following heavy criticism, the UK's statistical authorities say they're finally getting a grip on the issue. Might we already be seeing some signs of recovery? open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

My main feeling about these kinds of poll is that they miss something crucial which is *why* people think we were wrong to leave. Brexit voters who now say it was the wrong decision are usually signalling discontent with how it was handled, though they'd still back the principle of leaving.

To understand the UK, you must carefully study this map. Tells you all you need to know 🥔 ✂️ (I could find a crisps / chips emoji)

I did some quick analysis of who has been signing the e-petition against digital ID and the results are interesting. Nothing very surprising when comparing signatures per constituency with share voting Reform in 2024. The picture for Labour is a bit more troubling…

Some thoughts on the Chancellor's data difficulties in my Substack post this week ⬇️ Plus, oh yes, I'm still keeping my beady eye on digital ID, and the public reaction so far is not looking good... open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

Nice view of Somerset House at low tide back when it housed the General Records Office. The embankment now separates the building's facade from the river, and the bridge has been replaced by a bigger concrete one.

Well this is a new one for me and something that belongs in an update of Bad Data (and in Sum of Us). Italians mistakenly identified as Roma on Scottish Census. www.thetimes.com/article/f1ff...

Economic forecasts are *always* revised & the swing can be substantial. Add to that the OBR choosing this moment to revise productivity figures going back 10 years. Bad data strikes again, leaving the Chancellor with a fiscal headache & massive PR challenge ⬇️ www.thetimes.com/article/83c5...

Very astute piece. The unification of data systems that was already going on quietly in the background could be at risk now because it's being publicly framed as part of the move to a 'papers please' society.

Timely account of the fascinating history of data in our politics! It shows how much of the data collection that's defined our sense of who we are as a society across history comes down to a mix of accident, contingency & bias (& plenty of genuine concern for human welfare & a better society too!)

Spotted by a contact at the Labour conference in Liverpool! 🙌 Want to better understand our complicated, love-hate relationship with ID cards, population registers, data privacy, and being counted and put in boxes by the state? Head down to the conference bookshop (?) to pick up a copy!

Wake up in the morning feeling like T Blair...

🪪 ID cards are back! This time it's digital. 🪪 "YouGov ran a snap poll yesterday in which support had fallen to just 42% while opposition stood at 44%. At the time of writing, a parliamentary petition against ID cards is heading towards two million signatures." open.substack.com/pub/georgina...

New data provides fascinating insights into outcomes of recent refugees granted status between 2015 and 2020 Both asylum (ARR) and resettled refugees (RR) struggled in labour market, but particular the latter - likely reflecting that many were selected based on vulnerability link to data in reply