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Abstract:
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A strong culture of professional ethics is critical for any government statistical agency. Government statisticians are entrusted with large amounts of sensitive information covering the spectrum of the nation's population and economy, and they are responsible for producing official statistics that are used to allocate government resources, apportion political representation, and inform policy-makers at all levels of government. Users of official statistics, and the public at large, must rely on government statisticians to be objective, responsible, respectful, and above all, ethical. This paper will examine the relevance of the ASA Guidelines for the Ethical Practice of Statistics for government statisticians, and will discuss the importance of adherence to these guidelines for the preservation of a sound and meaningful federal statistical system, and the risks that can arise if these guidelines are disregarded.
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