The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics

Our polarized times are a breeding ground for dodgy and misleading statistical claims. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, has seen an explosion of information, with claims and counterclaims about cases, deaths, tests, and vaccination schedules.

How are we to determine which statistics are legitimate when information generation has never been easier? And how can we ensure that reading on important topics leaves us better informed, rather than bamboozled?

One man who has thought extensively about our relationship with statistics is British economics writer Tim Harford. Host of the BBC’s excellent More or Less radio show, Harford has thought carefully about how to evaluate and present information. His work has come together in his new U.S. book, The Data Detective, providing us with 10 simple rules (and a bonus golden rule) for evaluating statistics.

Rather than providing us with some dry methodology as a guide, Harford’s book is rich with storytelling to illustrate the pitfalls and dangers of using data. You will learn about how Florence Nightingale started a public health revolution with a pie chart, how the entire Dutch art world was fooled by their own wishful thinking, and how a stripper and a congressman changed the face of U.S. statistics.

During the event, submit questions on Twitter using #CatoCOVID.

[Jim-Wade]

Well said, using numbers to "prove" ones case breeds ignorance, and is infinitely dangerous. One must desire to understand the truth, and that means putting what one "knows" on hold long enough to honestly evaluate the data (including its sources and their biases).

[jglammi]

see NICHOLAS NASSIM Taleb: THE BLACK SWAN, ANTIFRAGIL, etc

[brendansully]

Probably could have trimmed the first 2 minutes off

[jglammi]

1/3 of JEWS in Italy belonged to the FASCIST PARTY, and MUSSOLINI recognized US President Franklin ROOSEVELT as a fellow FASCIST.