STATISTICS tell stories.
They tell stories about Island life, about changes that take place – for better or worse – and give an insight into Islanders’ lives.
They are used by Islanders, by the government, by politicians, businesses, journalists, charities and other organisations.
They inform us and help inform decisions – at a parish and government level – which affect all of our lives.
In other words, statistics are important.
But who is behind the numbers?
Chief statistician Ian Cope and his team at Statistics Jersey, squirrelled away somewhere in the depths of the government’s Union Street building, work on report after report which help provide insight into our lives.
And while Mr Cope may be used to publishing reports, this report was different.
Mr Cope – who has been in the role for four-and-a-half years – published his first annual report in July reflecting on a “landmark” year for both himself and the organisation he heads up.
The report sets out priorities for the future and looks at how Statistics Jersey did in 2024.
Announcing the report earlier this month, Mr Cope described it as a “significant step towards greater transparency and accountability” which also reflected the organisation’s “commitment to delivering trusted, independent statistics for Jersey”.
He added: “It brings together highlights of the year’s work, including key statistical publications, improvements in methodology, and the expansion of digital tools to provide robust data.
“This work is essential to understanding how our Island is changing and we’re proud of the progress we’ve made.”
Speaking to the JEP, Mr Cope said the report stemmed from changes to law which he said had bolstered Statistics Jersey’s independence, turning the organisation into an arms-length one.
The amendments to the Statistics and Census (Jersey) Law 2018 were passed unanimously in September last year, and came into force in February this year. Mr Cope said they had been acting independently since 2018 but becoming an arms-length organisation helped strengthen that.
Mr Cope said there had been “really strong” support from States Members for the changes.
The chief statistician said he had never experienced issues of being “leaned-on” but the changes in legislation have helped provide clarity to the relationship.
The changes to the law also include developing a Code of Practice which is to be published later this year and Mr Cope said the changes “introduce the concept” of “Tier 1 statistics”, the most critical statistical reports that are essential for understanding the Island’s economic, demographic, social and environmental situation.
These are the reports on the “most important, enduring things”, including the Retail Prices Index, said Mr Cope.
Previously, only Statistics Jersey could produce “official” statistics but the new law allows other departments to do so.
While surveys are essential for gathering information, another key aim for Mr Cope is to start using information that is already held by other departments but not necessarily published, which could be a boon for statisticians.
As well as the 19-strong team in Statistics Jersey, there are analysts and statisticians in different departments, bringing the total to around 80 employees, staff who Mr Cope has a responsibility for, including their career development – a key aspect of the report is a focus on the professional development of staff, including putting staff through an MSc in statistics in Southampton.
Many of the Statistics Jersey team are early in their career.
“We find it difficult to recruit the more experienced people, because we’re competing with the finance sector,” said Mr Cope.
And while 80 staff may seem like a lot to deal with, during his time at the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), where he worked for 29 years, Mr Cope oversaw the 2011 census during which he was responsible for 300 staff…
‘Our purpose’
The process of writing the annual report was cathartic for Mr Cope, who said it was “quite helpful” as it required him to “formalise things” which were already in his head.
“It [the report] talks about our purpose and what we’re here for, which is basically to provide statistics for government, the States Assembly, businesses, charities and Islanders, to help them make well-informed decisions,” said Mr Cope.
Part of any annual report is Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The organisation had one KPI for 2024, to release 100% statistical reports on time, which they did, and Mr Cope said they would be developing a more comprehensive set of KPIs in time for the next report.
Statistics Council
While it may not be as well-known as The Style Council, the recently formed Statistics Council was another outcome of recent legislative changes.
The council, which met for the first time recently, consists of a range of members from different walks of life all bound together by their interest in stats, including Mr Cope.
The council was appointed by the Chief Minister at a recent States sitting and is chaired by Kate Chamberlain, who was previously the Welsh Government’s chief statistician.
“It’s quite early days, but I think it’ll be quite an effective group,” said Mr Cope. “And they are also required to produce a report as well, so they can report on how well I’m fulfilling my functions and across the system as a whole.”
Mr Cope said he hoped the council would be able to go out and talk to different groups and report back on any data they are not yet collecting.
New website
Many Islanders will have heard of the census – the largest Island-wide survey which takes place every ten years and which Mr Cope was responsible for in 2021 – and they may wait with baited breath for the Island’s housing price index and inflation rate to come out – reports which reveal trends and have implications for us all – but Statistics Jersey is responsible for a host of reports, so many in fact that they published more than one report every two weeks on average in 2024.
These reports cover a range of topics about Island life and include the Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, Births and Breastfeeding Profile, Homelessness in Jersey Report and Business Tendency Survey – to name but a few.
These reports are not only a treasure trove for reporters hungry for a story about Island life but are essential reading.
But how do you get the statistics about the people?
A swanky new website is one way.
The new site went live in May and Mr Cope said it had been “well received”, helping present information in an understandable way.
Previously Statistics Jersey had pages on the main government website, but this site is mainly designed for holding text and was not so good for data and charts, the bread and butter of what Statistics Jersey do. It even has dashboards…
The site features future release schedules – which Mr Cope highlights on a screen – and has hundreds of reports going all the way back to 2003, so plenty of bedtime reading.
‘I enjoy living in Jersey’
Asked why he decided on a career in statistics, Mr Cope said he left school unsure what he wanted to do – as many people do. But one thing he knew was he was “very good at maths” and so he studied mathematics, statistics and economics at Warwick University.
He then joined the UK government straight from university.
“I wasn’t sure how long I would stay there, but I ended up enjoying it,” he said, so much so that he spent 29 years at the ONS.
Mr Cope, who grew up in Kent. worked across the UK with the ONS, including in South Wales. He has also worked across the globe, including in New Zealand and Canada.
After globe-trotting, what brought him to a small island in the channel?
Mr Cope heard of the opportunity from a former colleague at the ONS who moved to Jersey, with Mr Cope initially being in the chief statistician role on an interim basis before successfully applying for the permanent job – and here he is more than four years later.
Mr Cope said: “I enjoy living in Jersey. I think it’s a really friendly place. It’s safe, its got the beaches and lots of heritage.”
The chief statistician also said he had a “great team”.
“They’re really good people that care about what they do,” he said.
It is also “easier to have a voice” in a small jurisdiction.
“I can brief the Chief Minister here in a way that would just never happen in the UK, because it’s just so big,” he added.
As Mr Cope disappears back into the warren of Union Street to his team one thing is clear: statistics matter.
What else did Statistics Jersey do in 2024
- Released the first update to population projects since 2016, the result of the creation of a “secure database” of administrative population and social data which means population projections can be made every two years instead of five.
- Updated the RPI processes for the first time in two decades, including developing “data infrastructure that reduces risk”. The organisation has also moved from paper-based to a digital system when it comes to data collection, speeding up the process.
- Developed and launched the Island Outcome Indicators (IOI) dashboard to “enhance transparency and improve how Jersey’s progress toward long-term wellbeing goals is tracked and communicated with Islanders”.
- Produced its first analysis of public spending.
- Produced the 2024 Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, which incorporated a year’s worth of work on current issues relevant to Islanders.
- Statistics Jersey also dealt with 120 ad-hoc requests for data and insight from the government, the media, public authorities, charities and individuals.
Key stats
- 103,650 – Jersey’s population, at the end of 2023.
- 2.3% – the Island’s rate of inflation, as of March 2025.
- 720 – the number of births to Jersey-resident mothers recorded last year, the lowest since records began in 1995.
- £716,000 – the price of a three-bedroom house, in the first quarter of 2025 (down from £752,000 in the last quarter of 2024)
- 39% – the percentage of children in Year 6 living in urban areas who were overweight or obese, higher than the 26% in urban areas (2024-25).
- 65.7% – the pay gap faced by women aged 55 to 59 in Jersey’s finance sector.
