May 27, 2026
Federal economic statistics help people understand the economy and make better decisions. Measures such as inflation, unemployment and income guide choices by policymakers, businesses, researchers and households.
But trust in those numbers has weakened.
In a new Brookings Institution essay, Upjohn Institute President Michael Horrigan, with Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow of Economic Studies David S. Johnson, and Maggie Meinhardt, Brookings Tax Policy Center research assistant-economic studies, examine why confidence in federal economic statistics has declined and what it will take to rebuild it.
They point to several challenges: concerns about political influence, declining resources for statistical agencies, falling survey response rates, confusion over why data are revised and questions raised by occasional problems with data releases. They argue that restoring trust will require protecting the independence of statistical agencies, investing in data quality and modernization, improving transparency and communicating more clearly with the public.
The authors make a clear case: Reliable economic statistics are essential public infrastructure. Without them, it becomes harder to understand economic conditions, evaluate policy and make informed decisions.
Experts
