Do you believe in statistics?

Question

Does it make you more likely to believe stories you hear from news sources

Answer 1

Well statistics shows that 90% of people who ask about statistics are usually .......................... Nah just messing with ya

Yeah sure i do believe i them :)

Answer 2

It highly depends on what kind of statistics they are and how the data is collected.  

If the statistic is, for example, all the recorded crime reports done last year, then it is kind of reliable info, as it is all on record with details of when how and what happened.  That doesn't tell much about real criminality levels, though, as it doesn't take into account all unreported crimes.

In the case of 'studies' though, it's a different matter.  Sometimes, through questionnaires or even lab studies, a portion of the population is chosen to be analyzed for whatever reason, for example: in how many households is the woman who does all the housework.  The researchers try to pick as wide a variety of different people as possible, from as many backgrounds and social groups possible, but in the end, what can 1000 or 2000 or even 10.000 people can really say about a population of hundreds of million people???

Not much at all.  Truth is, the cost of asking EVERYONE anything would be huge, and even then, what guarantee is there that people would be totally honest, or even willing to take part?

Very important is who FUNDS the studies.  For examples, meat sellers will always find that going vegetarian will make you ill, junk food companies will say that junk food ain't all that bad, and so on.  Independent studies are a RARE find these days, because money has to come from wealthy multinationals backing their own interests.

As a general guideline, ALWAYS ask yourself: who is saying this?  How were the data collected?  Is the person/group making these claims gaining anything from the findings?  What margin of error is there?

News sources rarely say who has collected the data and why, which should make you take everything they say with a pinch of salt.  They are known for saying the opposite findings are true once in a while!

Answer 3

Statistics can lie too. So its a matter of what you know and have seen before believing head on in the stats! I say give me the FULL evidence (ie. video) then the stats.

Answer 4

Do I believe in statistics? Er... I believe they exist yes, there is evidence of their existence worldwide. :-D

Do I believe that stats are often reliable? No.

Answer 5

i love vital statistics.... :) 36..26..36.................

Answer 6

"There are three kinds of lies; lies, d**n lies and statistics." Mark Twain

Answer 7

Yes, I teach statistics, amongst other things!

Answer 8

Yes i do---they always seem VERY true to me.

Thumbs Down?

Answer 9

Do you?

In short-changing, conning and deceiving  other tribes of different community?

On glory and success of tribe with non-existence rights of original descendant?

With the "Lady in Red"

Having children of the pink panther of different tribe of different community to come up with self image of standing idol in kicking them all on the butts in making a mokey out of them with self lack of knowledge in kicking the butts of God in not worshiping God.

Leviticus 26.1

But in oppression and slavery in idol worshiping the dead Mummy from someone else graveyards.

As cheap-skate ghostly stories on glory and success in idol worshiping the dead Mummy of glorious past civilization.

Luke 6.39-40,41-45,46-49

What do you think?

Answer 10

Statistics are very good if presented and used correctly.  But they can too easily be used to make things appear differently to what they actually are.

Answer 11

Statistics given as a percentage are absolutely meaningless.  For instance if you eat a substance it increases your chances of getting ill by ten percent.  If the chances in the first place are only 0.0001% the increase is infantesimal.

If on the other hand the risk was two percent but the chances were already ten percent then the increase would be hugely meaningful.

The easy way round that is to quote the chances out of a number.  Two out of nine hundred eople who eat substance A get ill.

This system tends to be used in medical risk assessment and is much easier to understand and far harder to manipulate!!!

Answer 12

my favourite generally sound something like    36 C

Answer 13

To a point

... ... ...

They are a good starting line to start to watch to see what you hear or see that will reflect on what was stated in the statistics finding report

.. .. ..

Election wise no way there are to many variables

.. . ..

Crime Yes I do take it to a node of the head cause the news at 6 or local news paper will back it up in the facts of the day

.. . ..

Medical maybe just like the man who has found a cure for cancer by using radio waves it is real I looked into it

Saw it on TV News program and did a google on it and wa la the whole town were he lives is getting ready for a new life

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

.. . ..

Well enough of what I think I am only one

.. .. .

Answer 14

Yes I do believe statistics. It is the interpretation and selective and distorted  reporting and the conclusions arrived at, that I have a problem with.

Answer 15

Statistics are real, however they can be tanted.

I beleive in them, but have to see the source.

Answer 16

20& of me does, the other 80% doesnt ;) xx

Answer 17

news and magazine-http://scribling.net/

Answer 18

Yes i am a big fan of stats especially when it comes to history

Answer 19

Not really. Eg when the Government claims that crime has gone down, they don't include crime committed by minors, or they'll omit violent crime and just publish that separately.  

They reckon knife crime is no worse than it was 20 years ago - I don't know how they've come to that conclusion, but perhaps they mean that although more are getting stabbed, less are dying from the injuries?

By omitting or defining information, stats can be skewed. So violent crime may only mean guns or knives, but ignores baseball bats or beer glasses, which I would say should be included.

So no, generally I take them with a pinch of salt, especially when they contradict what I see and hear from other sources.

Answer 20

Facts speak louder than statistics.

Answer 21

I believe that statistically scribling.net will get best answer any day now.

Answer 22

There are lies, d**n lies and statistics.

My ex husband was a Government Statistician - worked on various things such as employment stats, education stats etc.  Got paid a great deal of taxpayers money for doing very little and talking a lot of c**p.

Beleive none of it.

Answer 23

A VERY TRUE STATEMENT BY A VERY WISE MAN---Statistics are lies backed up by facts.