damned statistics

Statistics are a tricky thing:

Mark Twain famously popularized the saying, “There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”16 He referred to his own difficulty in understanding figures, and to the idea that statistics can have persuasive power, even when used inappropriately. Statistics can be—and often are—used to bolster weak arguments. As such, many view statistics with skepticism.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Surveys - PMC

Lies, damned lies, and statistics - Wikipedia

For example:

Even when statistics are carefully checked, and don't have the decimal point equivalent of a typo, things don't always look right. During the same August week two different media stories broke: one painting a grim picture of breast cancer rates in the UK; the other a much more optimistic picture.

Monday 9 August: "Breast cancer rates in the UK are more than four times higher than those in eastern Africa, the World Cancer Research Fund has revealed." This is the original press release.

Thursday 13 August: "Death rates from breast cancer have fallen more dramatically in the UK than any other European country, cancer researchers have said." Original report.

Both reports were using completely accurate statistics, but simply used different measures to back up their message.

The simple truth about statistics | Mathematics | The Guardian

The place to go to sort all of this out is the BBC of course:

Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

BBC Sounds - More or Less - Available Episodes

BBC World Service - More or Less

For example:

How much does a man’s height affect his chances of becoming a professional basketball player in the NBA? Tim Harford talks to Seth Stephens-Davidowitz to slam dunk the numbers.

BBC World Service - More or Less, NBA basketball: Is height more important than skill?

Or:

Libertarian populist Javier Milei won the presidential election in Argentina on a promise austerity and economic “shock” measures for the ailing economy. Just a few months in, some are hailing the falling rate of inflation as showing those measures are working. Economist Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, explains whether that thinking is correct.

More or Less - Has Milei fixed Argentina’s inflation problem? - Has Milei fixed Argentina’s inflation problem? - BBC Sounds

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