Statistics should be interpreted with caution as they can be misleading;
they can both lie and tell the truth.
Whether or not people notice the importance of statistics, statistics are used by different cohorts of people from a farmer to an academician and a politician in their everyday life. For example, Cambodian famers produce an average of three tons or rice per hectare, connection about eighty per cent of Cambodian population is a farmer, and at least two million people support party A?. According to the University of Melbourne, statistics are about making conclusive estimates about the present or to predict the future (The University of Melbourne, 2009). Statistics are not always trustable, yet they depend on their reliable factors such as samples, data collection methods and sources. This essay will discuss how people can use statistics to present facts or to delude others. Then, it will discuss some of the criteria for a reliable interpretation of statistics. Haven’t really improved the cohesion.
Researchers, professionals and others use statistics to prove their claims or findings. Even though statistics are not an absolute fact because the conclusion is mostly drawn from a sample group – representative of a specific population subjected to the research, it is commonly used as the basis of decision making or alternating choices in daily living, studies, work, scientific research, politics and other planning. The inventor of a documentary film called “An Inconvenient Truth”, Mr. Al Gore, for instance, in his campaign to educate people about the climate change, used statistics to alert people that everyone on earth is polluting the environment and should participate in solving the problem. He collected data on climat...
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...eptive. It depends on how it is used, collected and analyzed. Therefore, readers should understand what reliable statistics are. Yet, statistics are very important for researchers, scientists, students, employers and individuals to make decisions as well as to authenticate any claims or scientific theories.
Bibliography
Braid, J. H. (2003). How statistics can lie? Retrieved February 04, 2011, from N Turfgrass:
http://turf.unl.edu/extpresentationspdf/BairdStats.pdf
International Republican Institute. (2010). Survey of Cambodian Public Opinion. Phnom Penh.
Rosenberg, M. (2010, 11 17). China's one child policy. Retrieved 01 31, 2011, from About.com:
http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/onechild.htm
The University of Melbourne. (2009). What is statistics? Retrieved 01 30, 2011, from Statistical
Consulting Center: www.scc.ms.unimelb.edu.au/
The final chapter of this book encourages people to be critical when taking in statistics. Someone taking a critical approach to statistics tries assessing statistics by asking questions and researching the origins of a statistic when that information is not provided. The book ends by encouraging readers to know the limitations of statistics and understand how statistics are
Renaud, R. (2014a, April 10). Unit 10 - Understanding Statistical Inferences [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from the University of Manitoba EDUA-5800-D01 online course materials.
The following article analysis review by Team B illustrates and identifies several examples of statistics abuse in the practical world as a result of flawed research. The following examples demonstrate how a manger could and in many examples, does make erroneous decisions due to inaccurate statistics. The team has compiled the results by detailing the respective articles.
...hey do not question the information that is handed to them. This doesn’t mean that we should have a knee-jerk reaction whenever a number is brought up and automatically dismiss it, but we should rather approach it with a sense of informed skepticism. Many dedicated individuals like Joel Best have provided the general public with tools to effectively evaluate numbers in daily life and emphasized the significance of questioning how these numbers were socially constructed.
In 1979, China decided to establish a one child policy which states that couples are only allowed to have one child, unless they meet certain exceptions[1].In order to understand what social impacts the one child policy has created in China it important to evaluate the history of this law. China’s decision to implement a Child policy has caused possible corruption, an abuse of women’s rights, has led to high rates of female feticide, has created a gender ratio problem for China, and has led to specific problems associated with both the elderly and younger generation. Finally, an assessment of why China’s one child policy is important to the United States allows for a full evaluation of the policy.
Olesen, Alexa. “China Sticking to One-Child Policy.” Indianapolis Star 23 Jan. 2007: 1-3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Feb. 2011.
...d be argued that the statistics are untrustworthy as result of using small numbers of students and the numbers of students in each group are not the same.
First, let’s examine the author’s qualification on the subject. This undoubtedly indicates that the information holds weight and is trustworthy. The scholarly journals, government documents, scientific journals and medical contents written by scholars, professionals and experts in their field with...
“There’s nothing boring about statistics”, as said by Professor Hans Rosling in which I do agree with. Data and statistics surrounds us, whether we realize it or not, statistics helps us understand what is going on within the world around us. It helps us understand if the things we think or believe are actually true. I use statistics on a daily basis from school to work or even social media marketing. Hans Rosling has opened by eyes even more to how it can be used in ways I’ve never thought.
This chapter taught me the importance of understanding statistical data and how to evaluate it with common sense. Almost everyday we are subjected to statistical data in newspapers and on TV. My usual reaction was to accept those statistics as being valid. Which I think is a fair assessment for most people. However, reading this chapter opens my eyes to the fact that statistical data can be very misleading. It shows how data can be skewed to support a certain group’s agenda. Although most statistical data presented may not seem to affect us personally in our daily lives, it can however have an impact. For example, statistics can influence the way people vote on certain issues.
Rosenberg, Matt. "China One Child Policy - Overview of the One Child Policy in China."
I agree that having legitimate statistics makes an arguments more credible. One of the first things I looks for in any argument is evidence that backs it up. Sometimes it seems like the author is just offering his opinion on the subject, without any science to back it up. However, it seems like the author of your article did his research and had well backed up reasons for his points. I was particularly interested by the part about how social media is prompting the younger generations to participate more in politics. I would be interested to see the evidence for that, but even without it, I can see why that would be. Social media makes a huge impact on what we think and is the main mode of communication for the majority of young people.
Quantitative methods in the social sciences are an effective tool for understanding patterns and variation in social data. They are the systematic, numeric collection and objective analysis of data that can be generalized to a larger population and seek to find cause in variance (Matthews and Ross 2010, p.141; Henn et al. 2009, p.134). These methods are often debated, but quantitative measurement is important to the social sciences because of the numeric evidence that can be used to drive more in depth qualitative research and to focus regional policy, to name a few (Johnston et al. 2014). Basic quantitative methods, such as descriptive and inferential statistics, are used regularly to identify and explain large social trends that can then
Rosenberg, M. (2010, 11 17). China's one child policy. Retrieved 01 31, 2011, from About.com:
• to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data;