Beyond compliance: The impact of data protection on statistical excellence – A view from the 2021 Population-Housing Census in Greece

Abstract

In this paper we propose the idea that compliance of a producer of official statistics to the basic principles of data protection in the preparation of a survey, while imposing additional burden, complexity or even restrictions to the process, can actually prove to be an effective tool to ensure and demonstrate compliance with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the European Statistics Code of Practice. To show the validity of this idea we utilize the Greek Population and Housing Census of 2021, conducted in 2021 by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), as a representative example of statistical survey, which was built from the beginning with a primary look to the basic data protection principles of the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (GDPR). While preparing the Census we came across the intrinsic interplay that exists between principles of the GDPR and the Fundamental Principles and the Code. In the paper we analyze this interplay as we came across it in the Census and show that it can be used as a tool to strengthen the implementation of basic principles of official statistics in all statistical production processes.