Data Science for Informed Citizens: On Synergies Between Data Literacy and Civic Statistics

Data science as a practical science has been conceived to address tangible problems in science, technology, and society. These problems require skills and dispositions beyond the technical mastery of algorithms such as interrogating measurability issues, classifying results under uncertainty and risk, and being aware of data ethics and implications for policy and society. These features relate data science education closely to the recently developed field of civic statistics. This conceptual paper looks at the common grounds between these two areas. It investigates how digital literacy and data science can enhance civic statistics and, vice versa, how civic statistics concepts have the potential to enrich the teaching of data science and data literacy. Hence the paper contributes to the development of new curriculum guidelines and, ultimately, courses.