Consultation outcome

DSIT Digital Sector Economic Estimates Consultation

Updated 17 December 2024

1. Introduction

This consultation seeks user feedback on the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series, a branch of the Economic Estimates series previously published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). We invite feedback from all interested stakeholders and users of the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series, particularly on your current uses of Digital Sector economic estimates.

The production of the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series has been transferred from DCMS to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). As part of this process, we have reviewed how these statistics are used. We have identified the opportunity to improve the quality of these statistics, improving their resonance with their users.

To benefit the development of the series, we are seeking to streamline these statistics by removing some infrequently used publications. We are seeking feedback to understand how our proposed plan will impact users. Data collected as part of this consultation, alongside an internal DSIT stakeholder engagement exercise, will form the evidence base for the development of this statistical series.

If you have any questions regarding this consultation survey or on the Digital Sector Economic Estimates, please email us on economicestimates@dsit.gov.uk.

If you have any feedback on the non-digital (DCMS Sector) Economic Estimates collection of statistics that are still produced by DCMS, please contact evidence@dcms.gov.uk.

2. Background

The Digital Sector Economic Estimates Series provide statistics on the contribution of the digital sector to the UK economy, with releases published broadly around the following key metrics:

• Gross Value Added (GVA)
• Employment
• Earnings
• Imports and Exports of Services and Goods
• Business Demographics
• Productivity

More information on the releases is available here: Economic Estimates

3. Proposed Plan

Through analysis of previous Gov.uk analytics, prior DCMS consultations, and a review of academic literature we have identified the following releases as the most used:

• Annual Gross Value Added (GVA) release
• Employment (Calendar Year Data) release

Based on this, our proposed plan is to continue producing these releases for the Digital Sector in the future. We intend to cease production of most or all the other releases. We believe that most users will only need one or two metrics covering the size of the digital sector rather than the multiple currently produced.

We are aware that the evidence we have used to develop our plan is retrospective, based on historic use of these statistical releases. Therefore, we intend to use this consultation to gather further information on the use of this statistical series; in particular, to understand whether the use of these releases has changed and so to understand the impacts of our proposed plan.

Data collected as part of this consultation, alongside an internal DSIT stakeholder engagement exercise, will form the evidence base for the development of this statistical series. Any data provided may also be shared with DCMS to support development of the Economic Estimates collection of statistics for their sectors.

4. Rationale

The streamlining process aims to ensure that we make the best use of available resources to provide good value to users. We intend to redirect our resources towards improving this statistical series for future releases; particularly focusing on its resonance for our users and potentially increasing the number of sectors covered.

Feedback is requested in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, which sets out that:

“User satisfaction with the relevance and usefulness of the statistics and data should be reviewed routinely.”

“Statistics producers should periodically review whether to continue, discontinue, adapt or to provide the statistics through other means, in discussion with users and other stakeholders.”

A summary of findings will be published in response to this consultation within 12 weeks of the consultation closing (by 19 December 2024). For any questions on the consultation, please contact: economicestimates@dsit.gov.uk.

This consultation covers 4 key sections:

1. Section 1: This section aims to understand who uses statistics from the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series and for what purpose they are used.

2. Section 2: This section aims to gather information on the use of each statistical output, allowing us to target resources efficiently, provide good value to users and ensure that statistics are relevant and useful.

3. Section 3: Our current proposed plan is to continue annual releases of Gross Value Added (GVA) and Employment (Calendar Year Data). This section aims to understand the potential impact of not continuing other Digital Sector Economic Estimates publications, so that we can make informed decisions on the production of these statistics in the future.

4. Section 4: This section aims to gather some information on how users feel the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series can be developed in the future.

This questionnaire can be completed anonymously and most respondent information fields are not mandatory. (*  = mandatory response)

This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.

The information we receive will allow us to make more informed decisions.

Some results from the consultation will be published as part of the consultation response but no individuals will be identifiable in these published results.

Please read our consultation privacy notice for more information on the data collected as part of the consultation.

5. Section 1: Respondent information

This section aims to understand who uses statistics from the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series and for what purpose they are used. Such information will help tailor future improvements in these statistics to their users.

Q1* - Are you aged 16 or over?

a. No, I am 15 years or younger.

b. Yes, I am 16 years or over.

If under 16 - Unfortunately, as you are aged under 16, you cannot take part in this survey. If you have any questions please email: economicestimates@dsit.gov.uk.

Q2 - Are you answering this survey on behalf of an organisation or a group?

a. No, I am responding as an individual.

b. Yes, I am responding on behalf of an organisation.

Q3 - (Only if 2 = b. Yes) Please provide the name of the organisation or group. If you are responding on a specific team within your organisation, please also provide your team’s name.

[Free Text]

Q4 - What sector do you work in?

a. Academia and research

b. Business and Commercial Sector

c. Government, including local government and public bodies

d. Think tanks

e. Voluntary, community and social enterprise

f. Not applicable, I am responding in a personal capacity

g. Other (please state) [Free Text]

If you are happy to provide an email address as part of this consultation, please supply it here.

[Free Text]

6. Section 2: Digital Sector Economic Estimates

This section aims to gather information on the use of each statistical output, allowing us to target resources efficiently, provide good value to users and ensure that statistics are relevant and useful.

Q5* - How useful are the following releases to you? Examples of published releases can be found through the DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates webpage. Please think only of digital sector releases when answering this question.

a. Annual Gross value added (GVA)

b. Monthly Gross value added (GVA)

c. Summed Monthly Gross value added (GVA)

d. Regional Gross value added (GVA)

e. Employment (Calendar Year Data)

f. Non-calendar year Employment releases  (e.g. Economic Estimates: Employment in the digital sector, July 2022 to June 2023.)

g. Headline Earnings (ASHE)

h. Demographic Earnings (APS), Calendar Year

i. Imports and Exports of Services and Goods.

j. Business Demographics.

k. Productivity releases (e.g. DCMS and digital sector productivity 2022 (provisional))

Please provide a rating for each of the above releases using the rating system below:

1. Not used: Have never used and have no plans to use this statistic.

2. Somewhat useful: I have considered using this statistic in the past and will consider using it in the future.

3. Useful: I have used this release in the past year or plan to use it in the coming year.

4. Essential: I have used, and have relied on, this statistic in the past year and plan to use it in the coming year.

For Q6 and Q7, please provide an answer for each release rated 2 or above

Q6* - How do you use [insert release here]?

[Free Text]

Q7* - What would be the impact on you if [insert release here] was no longer produced for the digital sector?

[Free Text]

Q8 - Briefly describe how you make use of the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series if not already covered.

[Free Text]

7. Section 3: Proposed Plan

Our current proposed plan is to continue annual releases of Gross Value Added (GVA) and Employment (Calendar Year Data). This section aims to understand the potential impact of not continuing other Digital Sector Economic Estimates publications, so that we can make informed decisions on the production of these statistics in the future.

Q9* - We currently intend to continue the annual GVA and Employment (Calendar Year Data) releases. Which additional release (if any) would you most like to continue? Please choose up to 2.

a. Monthly Gross Value Added (GVA)

b. Summed Monthly Gross Value Added (GVA)

c. Regional Gross Value Added (GVA)

d. Non-calendar year Employment (e.g. Economic Estimates: Employment in the digital sector, July 2022 to June 2023.)

e. Headline Earnings (ASHE)

f. Demographic Earnings (APS), Calendar Year

g. Imports and Exports of Services and Goods

h. Business Demographics

i. Productivity releases (e.g. DCMS and digital sector productivity 2022 (provisional))

j. None. Annual Gross Value Added (GVA) and/or Employment (Calendar Year Data) releases would be sufficient

The following questions are designed to understand whether alternative statistics could be used to fulfil the usage of the statistics we are planning to discontinue.

For Q10, please provide an answer for any releases chosen at Q9.

Q10 - Could the current usage of [insert release here] be fulfilled with Annual Gross Value Added (GVA) and/or Employment (Calendar Year Data) releases for the digital sector?

a. Yes

b. No

For Q11, please provide an answer for each release where option b has been picked at Q10.

Q11 - Could the current usage of [insert release here] be fulfilled with any of the other Digital Sector Economic Estimates publications?

a. Yes

b. No

For Q12, please provide an answer for each release where option a has been picked at Q11.

Q12 - Which Digital Sector Economic Estimates publication could you replace [insert release here] with?

[Free Text]

For Q13, please provide an answer for each release where option b has been picked at Q11.

Q13 - Why not?

[Free Text]

8. Section 4: Development

Q14 - What additional economic statistics, if any, would you like to see included in a future version of these releases? For example, this could include statistics on the level of investment or firm turnover.

[Free Text]

Q15 - How else could the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series be improved? This could include adjusting the definition used to identify the sector or alterations to the current methodology.

[Free Text]

Q16 - Do you have any other comments related to the Digital Sector Economic Estimates series?

[Free Text]

If you are interested in speaking to us about these statistics in future, please email us on economicestimates@dsit.gov.uk.