We put small files (known as “cookies”) onto your computer to collect information about how you browse the site. The following is a description of what data we collect when you use this website and what we use it for.

The information we collect does not include personal details such as your name, age, telephone number, postal address or email address, nor does it allow personal identification of a user.

Cookies that measure website use

We use Google Analytics and Hotjar software to collect anonymised information about how you use ons.gov.uk. We do this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements to the site.

Regardless of your choice, we do not allow Google or Hotjar to use or share the data about how you use this site.

Google Analytics stores information about:

  • how you got to the site
  • the pages you visit and how long you spend on them
  • what you click on while you are visiting

Cookies set by Google Analytics


  Name
  

  Purpose
  

  Expires
  

  _ga
  

Help us count how many people visit the website by tracking if you have visited before

  2 years
  

  _gid
  

Help us count how many people visit the website by tracking if you have visited before

  24 hours
  


Hotjar stores information about:

  • whether you have participated in a Hotjar survey
  • the way in which you interact with a page
  • what you click on while you are visiting the site

Cookies set by Hotjar


  Name
  

  Purpose
  

  Expires
  

  _hjClosedSurveyInvites
  

Tell us whether a Hotjar survey invite has been closed to stop it displaying again

  1 year
  

  _hjDonePolls
  

Tell us whether a Hotjar feedback poll has been completed to stop the same poll reappearing

  1 year
  

  _hjMinimizedPolls
  

Keep Hotjar feedback poll widgets minimised (once minimised by the user) when the user navigates through the website

  1 year
  

  _hjDoneTestersWidgets
  

Set when a user submits information in the Hotjar recruit user testers widget. They stop the form reappearing once it has been completed

  1 year
  

  _hjIncludedInSample
  

Lets Hotjar know whether a user is included in the sample for tracking user journeys to important pages on the website

  1 year
  

  _hjShownFeedbackMessage
  

Set when a user minimises or completes a Hotjar feedback survey. The survey will stay minimised if the user navigates to a page where it is set to show

  1 year
  

  _hjid
  

Help us track users who visit the website multiple times. A unique Hotjar user ID is used to link their visits together

  1 year
  

  _hjRecordingLastActivity
  

Updated when a user recording starts and when a user performs an action on a page that Hotjar records. Found in sessionStorage rather than cookies

Per
session

  hjTLDTest
  

Stored temporarily and used to determine the root (or top-level) domain so that tracking works on all pages

Per
session

  _hjUserAttributesHash
  

Store user attributes during a user’s browser session so Hotjar knows when an attribute has changed and needs to be updated

Per
session

  _hjCachedUserAttributes
  

Store user attributes that are sent through the Hotjar identify API whenever the user is not in the sample. Attributes are only saved if the user interacts with a feedback tool

Per
session

  _hjLocalStorageTest
  

Used to check if the Hotjar tracking script can use local browser storage

Per
session


For further details, please see Google’s privacy policy, and Hotjar’s privacy policy.

Strictly necessary cookies

Time series tool

The time series tool helps users select and download multiple time series datasets from the website.

The time series tool stores information about:

  • any time series you have selected
  • any time series you have added to your basket

Cookies set by the time series tool


  Name
  

  Purpose
  

  Expires
  

  rememberBasket
  

  Stores whether you have saved your basket
  

  10 years
  

  timeseriesbasket
  

  Stores the time series you have selected
  

  10 years
  

Cookies message

You may see a banner when you visit the website inviting you to accept cookies or review your settings. This cookies message stores information about your cookie consent settings.

We will set cookies so that your computer knows you have seen the message and will not show it again. They will also store your settings.

Cookies set by the ONS website


  Name
  

  Purpose
  

  Expires
  

  cookies_policy
  

  Saves your cookie consent settings
  

  1 year
  

  cookies_preferences_set
  

  Tells us that you have saved your cookie consent settings
  

  1 year
  

Inactivity on the website

We set cookies to understand when a user is active or inactive on the ONS website. This helps us to identify any bot users so that we can better protect the website and ensure it is available to the public.

Cookies set by the ONS website


  Name
  

  Purpose
  

  Expires
  

  cf_bm
  

Identifies when a user is active or inactive on the ONS website
  

after 30 minutes of continuous inactivity
  

On-site search

We are constantly improving the ONS website to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our users. This includes testing new features on the live website so that we can get valuable user feedback.

We will set cookies to help us direct a percentage of ONS website users to our new on-site search. This is currently in Beta development and testing.

Cookies set by the ONS website


  Name
  

  Purpose
  

  Expires
  

  ab_test
  

Directs a percentage of ONS website users to the new site search
  

24 hours
  

Change your settings

You can change which cookies you are happy for us to use.