Work done

In 2021 a new quality policy for statistical production was adopted.

Italian Statistics Code of Practice (2021) (Italian version only).
New version of National Code of Practice addressed to Italian Statistical System Bodies that do not produce European Statistics (not-ONAs).

Peer review 2021-2023
The third cycle of Peer reviews for monitoring the implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice in the NSIs of the European Union is launched.

Renewal of the Quality Committee with the aim of reinforcing Istat’s commitment to quality. This body had already been active from 2010 to 2016. Moreover, for the first time in Istat, the figure of the Quality Manager was created.

European Statistical System (ESS) handbook for quality and metadata reports
Eurostat publishes the long-awaited new version of the handbook for quality reporting, updated to the ESS standard SIMS (Single Integrated Metadata Structure).

Guidelines on the quality of multisource statistics
The Guidelines on the quality of multisource statistics are one of the main products of the ESSnet KOMUSO Quality of Multisource Statistics funded by Eurostat. The project is one of the tools for the implementation of the ESS VIP ADMIN for maximising the use of administrative data sources.

Detailed data quality standard reports for all statistical processes.
Each report includes quantitative indicators on the quality of statistical processes and data produced. The structure of such reports follows the European Statistical System standard SIMS (Single Integrated Metadata Structure).

Guidelines for the Quality of Statistics produced by the National Statistical System
Handbook on the design and implementation of a statistical process, providing guidance for the correct development of the stages and activities of the process itself. The manual is used as a reference in the Quality Assurance Framework conducted by Istat on European statistics produced by Other National Authorities.

Q2018
European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics, Kraków 27 – 29 June, 2018.

Definition and implementation of an audit procedure for assessing the quality of European statistics produced by the other National Authorities.

ESS standard quality report dissemination
Quality reports produced by Istat according to the standards of the European Statistical System

Q2016
European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics, Madrid May 31-June 3, 2016

Quality Guidelines
Guidelines for the quality of statistical processes using administrative sources

Q2014 (2014)
European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics, Vienna 2-5 June, 2014

MEMOBUST
European project for the development of a common methodology and guidelines to support the production of business statistics.

European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics, Athens 29 May–2 June, 2012

Istat publishes the first Quality Guidelines, as a guide in the conduct of statistical processes and as a reference for the programme of internal evaluation of statistical processes through audit and self-assessment procedures to be implemented from 2010 to 2016.

First version of the manual containing guidelines, methods and tools for the implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice, the so-called Quality Assurance Framework – QAF. The first version of the QAF included methods covering only a few indicators of the Code, it will be integrated several times until version 2.0 covering all principles.

The Sponsorship on Quality (2009-2011) is an high level ESS Committee Task Force. Its mandate was to develop recommendations for possible modifications of the Code of Practice as well as recommendations to enhance quality-related activities.
The task force proposed some revisions of the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Moreover, the Task force provided a preliminary version of the Quality Assurance Framework for the implementation of the Code and developed recommendations on quality reporting.
The European Statistical System Committee approved the task force work and recommendations in September 2011.

Istat Quality Guidelines – English version (2012)
Quality guidelines for statistical processes

Italian Statistics Code of Practice
(Italian version only)

Q2010 (2010)
European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics, Helsinki May 4-6, 2010

Assessing Quality through Auditing and Self-Assessment

Recommended practices (2008)
Recommended practises for editing and imputation in cross-sectional business surveys

Q2008 (2008)
European Conference on Quality in Official Statistics, Rome July 9-11, 2008

SIQual (2006)
SIQual information system on quality

Q2006 (2006)
European Conference on Quality in Survey Statistics, Cardiff, UK, 24-26 April, 2006

Handbook of reccomended practice (2005)
Handbook of RPs for Questionnaire Development and Testing (2005)

European statistics code of practice (2005), revised in 2011

Q2004 (2004)
European Conference on Quality and Methodology in Official Statistics, Mainz, Germany, 24-26 May, 2004

The International Conference on Quality in Official Statistics, Stockholm May 14-15, 2001. The conference was jointly organised by Statistics Sweden and Eurostat

Summary Report from the Leadership Group (LEG) on Quality

Eurostat W.G. Assessment of Quality of Business Statistics
In 1998  W.G. Assessment of Quality in Statistics and then W.G. Quality in Statistics

Fundamental Principles of National Official Statistics
U.N. Fundamental principles of Official Statistics (1994)

1.  Istat. Pianificazione della produzione dei dati. 1989
2.  Istat. Il questionario: progettazione, redazione e verifica. 1989
3.  Istat. Le rappresentazioni grafiche di dati statistici. 1989
4.  Istat. Il sistema di controllo della qualità dei dati. 1989
5.  Istat. Tecniche di campionamento: teoria e pratica. 1989
6.  Istat. Tecniche di somministrazione del questionario. 1989
7.  Istat. Tecniche di stima della varianza campionaria. 1989

The handbooks are available in the Istat Digital Library (Italian version only)

• Hansen, M.H. Hurwitz, W.N., Bershad, M.A.1961. Measurement errors in censuses and surveys. Bulletin of the International Statistical Institute, 38, Part II, 359-374
• Hansen, M.H.; Hurwitz, W.N.; and Pritzker, L. (1964), “The estimation and interpretation of gross differ­ences and the simple response variance,” Contri­bution to statistics, in C.R. Rao (editor) Pergamon Press, Oxford, and Statistical Publishing Society, Calcutta, pp. 111-13
• Leslie Kish. Survey sampling. Wiley, 1965