Statistics is an interesting branch of science that has often got a bad rap. It teaches us a lot about theworldand helps us quantify things really well. Statistics also helps with planning, forecasting, and understanding differentfacts.Although it provides many unique insights, people tend to spout numbers without truly understanding the context behind them. These misinterpreted stats can put you on the wrong path completely and change the narrative of a story. Which is exactly what you’ll find in the examples shared in this list.More info:RedditThis post may includeaffiliate links.
Statistics is an interesting branch of science that has often got a bad rap. It teaches us a lot about theworldand helps us quantify things really well. Statistics also helps with planning, forecasting, and understanding differentfacts.
Although it provides many unique insights, people tend to spout numbers without truly understanding the context behind them. These misinterpreted stats can put you on the wrong path completely and change the narrative of a story. Which is exactly what you’ll find in the examples shared in this list.
More info:Reddit
This post may includeaffiliate links.
You’re most likely to get in an accident near your home.Well, obviously that’s where statistically most likely to be in terms of frequency. I wonder what the stats would be after adjusting for that.
Not only do regular people tell half-truths with stats, but it’s also professionals who sometimes muddy the waters. A shockingsurvey of scientistsfound that 33.7% of them had engaged in questionable research practices like changing the results of studies to improve outcomes, subjectively interpreting data, and holding back on certain analytical details.
I’ve heard a “certain segment” of people who like to cite crime statistics say “there are more black men in prison than in college.“You’re comparing approximately a range of 4 to 5 years (college) to a life time (prison).
Population density. 99% of “OMG LOOK AT THIS MAP AND LOOK WHERE ALL THE BAD THINGS ARE HAPPENING” hot takes are just maps of “Where most people live.”.
Bored Pandainterviewed ProfessorJennifer Visser-Rogers, the Vice President for Statistical Research and Consultancy, PHASTAR, to understand a bit more about statistics and why people misuse them. Here’s what she shared: “A statistic on its own is just a number. It’s the context that tells the story, but unfortunately, this can result in a misleading story if the context is inaccurate.”Peoplealso tend to fall prey to the issue of sample sizes. For example, let’s say there’s a survey wherein 60% of the respondents preferred Version A over Version B. Obviously, you’d imagine that Version A was the superior option. If the number of people surveyed were 10,000, that would be a pretty significant sample size to back up the research. But if you found out that the number of people surveyed was only 20, then it would mean that just 12 people preferred Version A. That’s why the context behind the statistic matters.
Bored Pandainterviewed ProfessorJennifer Visser-Rogers, the Vice President for Statistical Research and Consultancy, PHASTAR, to understand a bit more about statistics and why people misuse them. Here’s what she shared: “A statistic on its own is just a number. It’s the context that tells the story, but unfortunately, this can result in a misleading story if the context is inaccurate.”
Peoplealso tend to fall prey to the issue of sample sizes. For example, let’s say there’s a survey wherein 60% of the respondents preferred Version A over Version B. Obviously, you’d imagine that Version A was the superior option. If the number of people surveyed were 10,000, that would be a pretty significant sample size to back up the research. But if you found out that the number of people surveyed was only 20, then it would mean that just 12 people preferred Version A. That’s why the context behind the statistic matters.
That women almost always get the kids in divorceThis is true, but that’s because 90% of child custody cases are settled on outside of court, meaning the fathers aren’t actually fighting for custody of the kids. When they do they usually do get joint custody so long as the father is a fit parent.
If there’s a name for this phenomenon, let me know, because I see it a lot. Using a statistic backward to be misleading.A relatively apolitical example: “90% of all women millionaires made their fortune in MLMs!“Nope. It’s that of people who made a million in MLMs, 90% of them were women.I’ve seen it other places too. Another one floating around is that 75% of lesbian married couples divorce, when it’s actually that of same-sex divorces, 75% are F/F, in part because more F/F couples marry to begin with.
“If I were to tell you that we have a 1 in 80 lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer, that means that out of 400 people who don’t eat bacon, we would expect 5 of them to get pancreatic cancer anyway. A 20% increase in this means that if you took 400 people who ate bacon every day, we would expect 6 of them to get pancreatic cancer. So only an extra 1 person in every 400. Which doesn’t sound anywhere near as shocking as a 20% increase,” she added.
I’m doing X fad diet (keto, vegan, carnivore, extended fasting, omad, etc) and lost Y lbs in only Z weeks! 🥰🥰🥰Half of it was water/muscle/poop, soon enough you’re going straight back to your old habits.
urine is sterileYeah, while its still in your bladder. Once it hits your urethra its not f*****g sterile anymore.
Pretty much all statistical facts.as a stats guy te more you work with numbers the more you realise the only person who really has a proper understanding of what they’re showing is the person who did the study themselves.
Another fascinating example Jennifer shared illustrated how easily information could be manipulated to make a statistic seem more appealing. In fact, many brands and companies might use this tactic, which is why people should start paying more attention.She stated, “One of my favorite stories is that Colgate came under fire for one of its advertising campaigns that stated that ‘80% of dentists recommend Colgate.’ It was reported for being misleading and suggesting that this meant dentists recommend Colgate over other brands. But that wasn’t how the data was collected, dentists were told to recommend several toothpaste brands, so it wasn’t that 80% recommended Colgate and 20% recommended other brands,” she added.
Another fascinating example Jennifer shared illustrated how easily information could be manipulated to make a statistic seem more appealing. In fact, many brands and companies might use this tactic, which is why people should start paying more attention.
She stated, “One of my favorite stories is that Colgate came under fire for one of its advertising campaigns that stated that ‘80% of dentists recommend Colgate.’ It was reported for being misleading and suggesting that this meant dentists recommend Colgate over other brands. But that wasn’t how the data was collected, dentists were told to recommend several toothpaste brands, so it wasn’t that 80% recommended Colgate and 20% recommended other brands,” she added.
They always get mean mistaken for median.
More people die from drowning after eating ice cream.Context is that most people eat ice cream near the sea or at pools on holiday.
“Tons of people heard Kitty Genovese being killed but nobody called 911”Yeah, because 911 didn’t exist in 1964.
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An interesting phenomenon in the world of statistics is theSimpsons Paradox(not based on the show). It shows how oversimplification of data can cause people to come to dangerous conclusions and why a healthy bit of skepticism is important. A popular example of this is when UC Berkley feared they would face a lawsuit for gender bias because they admitted fewer female applicants in one year. However, a statistician found that upon dividing the school into departments, there was gender bias in favor of women for 4 out of the 6 departments and no significant gender bias in the remaining 2.
That one about we using only a fraction of our brain.
“Chihuahuas attack more people than pitbulls do, but the media only reports it when it’sa pitbull.“I imagine iguanas bite more people than alligators do, but for some reason the media cares more when a gator does it. Maybe because of the amount of damage it can cause.
“We are bombarded with data and statistics now on a daily basis, so I think it’s really important for us all to have a certain level of critical thought to challenge what we see. If we’re expected to use statistics to make decisions about our day-to-day lives, it’s really important to understand what questions we need to ask to be able to fully understand the context of what we’re being presented with,” she added.
Just about any headline that states “if you eat X you are twice as likely to die from Y.” The context is that Y is usually a rare condition such that the case rate goes from 3/100,000 to 6/100,000 people. Yeah, it doubled but so what? The odds are in your favor so if X is your fav food go ahead and enjoy it.
The people who throw out that black individuals are statistically more likely to commit crimes. That may be the case looking at pure numbers, but they also never recognize that the locations these happen in have extremely poor standards of living. Low income necessitates crime, and people know that, yet they gleefully push people into these situations so they can have more for their stats.
You used to see a ton of this from climate deniers - “There has been no warming in the last X years”. Where X is however many years it was since 1997, which was an unseasonably warm El Nino year. The trend has been warmer and warmer for decades, but for a long time after 1997 the trend sort of looked flat if you only went back to this one outlier. We might see more of this starting from 2024.
With so many examples of statisticalmanipulationor misunderstanding, it can be tough for people to understand what to actually believe. That’s why Jennifer shared a few questions that we could ask ourselves when faced with a new statistic:In what population/country/year was this statistic collected, and how generalizable is it to what I’m interested in?Who are the people surveyed to get this statistic, and do they have a vested interest in it?What is the uncertainty on any figure that you see?What do the numbers even mean?
With so many examples of statisticalmanipulationor misunderstanding, it can be tough for people to understand what to actually believe. That’s why Jennifer shared a few questions that we could ask ourselves when faced with a new statistic:
The current inflation of the U.S, usually disregarding the fact that it’s worldwide.
On average, everyone on the planet has one testicle.
That 15 minutes might save you 15% or more on car insurance.
You’re part of only the less than 1% that serve in the military. Usually told in speeches at basic training and academy graduations.That number is true if you look at currently serving vs. total population. But if you consider everyone alive who HAS served in that number, it’s around 7%. If you consider the number of kids who will eventually serve, it’s over 10%. Then if you factor in the number who would choose to but aren’t eligible, the number that would have but couldn’t in the past due to discrimination, it’s probably much higher than that.But the 1% number gets spouted a lot so veterans get to feel extra special.(US based statistics only).
Just remember‘Liars can figure, figures can lie’Think around the stats.
The gender pay gap doesn’t take into account hours worked, or different kinds of work. More women just work part time.When you compare salaries between men and women without children, the difference drops to 3%. Not perfect, but nowhere near the amount people think it is.
That women make 70% percent of what a man makes. People often miss the crucial context that the stat does not compare what jobs people have. When you compare men and women who are in the same job, the ‘gender wage gap’ practically disappears. (Which makes since cause it is illegal to pay someone less based on their gender).
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Facts
