Swiss law stipulates that federal statistics must provide, based on scientific methods, representative data on the current status and changes in the population, the economy, society, spatial development and the environment in Switzerland (see Legal Basis of Public Statistics under the Institutions heading). This information must be collected as efficiently as possible in order to, on the one hand, make economical use of the Confederation’s resources and, on the other, to reduce to a minimum the time and labour private individuals and enterprises spend on responding to surveys.
The twin goals of quality and efficiency can only be attained if complex statistical methods and procedures are developed and implemented. These ensure, first, that statistical results are based on scientific methods and represent reality as accurately and free of distortion as possible and, second, that in producing them, economic use is made of the resources of the Confederation and the respondents.
The following FSO brochures provide introductory information on the statistical methods:
- What is a statistical survey? (in German or French)
- A random sample: why it works (in German or French)
More detailed explanations of the methods used to compile public statistics are found in the Methodological Reports of the FSO.
The FSO’s Statistical Methods Service advises and supports the producers of statistics within the FSO and other federal administration offices in developing and elaborating statistical methods. It also collaborates with other national statistical offices and with Swiss and foreign universities in order to improve the statistical methods used to produce public statistics and to evaluate the latest developments in statistical theory. Innovations are developed on a regular basis and implemented in public statistics. To this end, the Statistical Methods Service has concluded a cooperation agreement with the Institute of Statistics of the University of Neuchâtel aimed, in particular, at implementing a research programme on statistical methods. The FSO has actively participated and continues to participate in research projects on statistical methods financed by the European Union’s research programmes, particularly the EUREDIT 
, DACSEIS and EDIMBUS research projects.