Eurostat has just published a new section on its website dedicated to experimental statistics. Mariana Kotzeva, Eurostat’s Acting Director-General, said: ‘This is a major step forward for Eurostat. We now give access to Eurostat’s innovation and development work to better respond to our users’ needs. We are deliberately asking for feedback on these statistics and, through this site, expect an increased dialogue with users and the scientific community’.
Experimental statistics are compiled from new data sources and methods. For example, for the first time Eurostat is estimating price changes in the food supply chain, from farm to consumer. Another example is the use of Wikipedia as a new source to produce statistics on the visits to UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is to measure not only the popularity of the sites but also the public’s ‘cultural consumption’.
It should be noted that these statistics have not reached full maturity in terms of harmonisation, coverage or methodology. This is why they are marked with a clearly visible logo and accompanied by detailed methodological notes.
