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Session 33

Building Statistical Literacy Trust

5 June 2026
09:00 – 10:15
ŠIBENIK IV

Presentation title
Mini-Census 2025 – the successful project of the Czech Statistical Office to increase statistical literacy
The Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) has been working to improve statistical literacy for more than two decades.

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The first significant event in this area was the Mini-Census organised as part of the promotion of the Population and Housing Census in 2010. Since then, Mini-Census has been held every 3 to 5 years. However, the Mini-Census 2025 was quite extraordinary – especially in terms of the number of children who participated in the event.

The inspiration for the Czech Mini-Census was the “Census at school” organised by the UK Office for National Statistics. The basic principle is to show children on a real questionnaire how statistical data is collected, how it is processed and how the results are displayed. It is very important to choose questions that children will enjoy.

A website was created internally at the CZSO for the event, which provided all the necessary information and mainly served as a school registration site, followed by filling out the electronic questionnaire and displaying the ongoing results in graphs, including various options for comparing results.

A novelty of the Mini-Census 2025 was the preparation of methodological sheets for teachers. For most questions, instructions were prepared on what could be discussed in the classroom in connection with a specific question - not only in mathematics lessons, but also in chemistry, foreign languages, IT, etc. The methodological sheets were prepared by practising teachers - we entered into cooperation with the Faculty of Education of the University of South Bohemia and we cooperated with a teacher from an elementary school. The methodological sheets were graphically edited to be interesting, colourful, effective and to entertain children.

The Mini-Census 2025 was the most successful in history so far - 83,558 children from 5,511 classes in 1,092 schools participated.

During the presentation, I will show the application for collecting and presenting results, present specific examples of questions and methodological sheets, as well as interesting facts from the event.

Main author / Presenter
Petra Kuncová
Czech Statistical Office

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Petra Kuncová is the Director of the Information Services Department of the Czech Statistical Office. She joined the office after graduating from the Department of Economic Statistics at the University of Economics and has worked in various areas of statistics. For more than 20 years, she has been engaged in providing statistical information, through the CZSO website, output databases and direct contact with users. In addition, she participated in the processing of most elections and was in charge of managing this large project during the 2021 Population and Housing Census. Throughout her career, she has been involved in the development of statistical literacy, especially among children and students. She is also active in the international statistical community, where statistical literacy is becoming increasingly important. She is a member of the Main Committee of the Czech Demographic Society.

Presentation title
An online training tool to immerse France’s Official Statistical Service employees in their work environnement including our core values
Quality and ethics must be part of the daily work of our employees.

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This relies on their ability to ask the right questions and seek appropriate support—whether from colleagues, established procedures or available tools—to implement effective solutions. This commitment is especially crucial as we collectively address new challenges to maintain high public trust, integrate innovative tools and data into our processes.

To foster this culture, it is essential to develop and reinforce a shared understanding among all staff. Our initial training programs for employees and managers – reinforced by their active mobility inside the french official statistical service - already emphasize these values. However we have recognized the need to extend this approach to the growing number of colleagues who join official statistics without attending our training schools—both at INSEE and in the ministerial statistical offices it coordinates.

This has led to the creation of a continuous education plan for all staff within the official statistical service. It combines knowledge of its mission, environnement and values, focusing on newcomers (though not exclusively). The new training provides a common framework for reflection: Is what I’m being asked to do aligned with my values? What should I look for? Who can I consult, which documents should I refer to and what examples can guide me?

Delivered in a 3-hour online format, the course covers the scope of official statistics, its missions and sources, its institutional framework, and its legal and ethical foundations—from the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP) to the values promoted by UNECE, which the French statistical service has adopted. The training includes interactive elements such as quizzes, real-world examples and animated sketches that address and answer common misconceptions about official statistics. Designed by INSEE’s statisticians and in-house IT experts, the program has recently been launched.

The design of this online training required significant investment over more than a year. We are eager to share this experience, as it may inspire colleagues. This article will first outline the feasability study that initiated the project, drawing on existing training programs, skills management and mobility frameworks for INSEE staff. It will then detail the design and validation process and finally—most importantly—present the training content itself, including real-life scenario scripts, which are among its key strengths.

Main author / Presenter
Pierrette Briant
Insee

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Since 2022, I have served as Deputy Head of the Quality Unit. I lead a team of 6 quality experts. Our primary role is to support INSEE’s operational teams and those of the Other National Statistical Authorities (ONAs) in analyzing their statistical processes, helping them develop action plans focused on continuous improvement and risk mitigation. We support the public statistical service in defining its quality guidelines and act as the point of contact and of coordination for European peers during reviews. Additionally, we promote quality by designing and delivering training programs and communications, as well as by facilitating quality networks. I began my career at INSEE in a regional office, then alternated between positions at INSEE headquarters and in ONAs. My experience covers survey and administrative data processing, business statistics (both sub-annual and annual) and household statistics (annual and multi-annual).

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Presentation title
Enhancing statistical literacy and trust in official statistics among trade and tourism students
Statistical literacy and trust in official statistics are essential competencies for future professionals in trade and tourism, sectors that rely on reliable data for business and decision-making.

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Although official statistics are widely available, their effective use depends on users’ statistical literacy, ability to interpret indicators correctly and connect them to real-world contexts. This paper presents an educational case aimed at strengthening students’ statistical literacy and confidence in using official statistics through teaching activities across quantitative and domain-specific courses (Business Statistics and Fundamentals of Trade and Tourism).

The approach is implemented within a professional undergraduate programme in trade and tourism studies. Students first develop interpretative skills in a quantitative course focusing on statistical concepts and data analysis. In the following semester, they apply these skills in a domain-specific course addressing trade and tourism fundamentals, using the official data in practical business contexts. This design allows students to encounter statistical data from multiple perspectives: first as abstract indicators and then as tools for sector-specific analysis and business decision making.

Teaching activities emphasise the interpretation of authentic tables and graphs published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, highlighting the translation of numerical indicators into meaningful insights for trade and tourism practice.

To evaluate the educational case, a simple before-and-after design is planned. Students complete a short test assessing their ability to interpret official statistics and a self-assessment of confidence in using such data prior to and following the teaching activities. The evaluation is complemented by brief qualitative reflections on students’ perceptions of the usefulness and credibility of official statistics.

The paper contributes to the discussion on statistical literacy and capacity building by demonstrating how the coordinated use of official statistics across multiple courses can support deeper understanding and trust among future users. It offers a example of good educational practice for higher education institutions and producers of official statistics.

Main author / Presenter
Nada Roguljić
University of Split, University Department of Professional Studies

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Nada Roguljić is a senior lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics at the University Department of Professional Studies, University of Split, with more than twenty years of experience in higher education. Her academic work focuses on teaching and curriculum development in Linear Algebra, Statistics and Business Statistics. Her professional interests include improving quality of teaching in higher education and inovative teaching methodologies. She shares a strong passion for teaching and continuously seeks ways to make mathematics/statistics more accessible to students of professional studies by connecting mathematical concepts with their field of study and everyday life. She regularly participates in academic and professional conferences, contributing to the continuous improvement of teaching and learning practices.

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