Damned Lies and Statistics : Untangling Numbers From the Media, Politicians, and Activists

Here, by popular demand, is the updated edition to Joel Best's classic guide to understanding how numbers can confuse us. In his new afterword, Best uses examples from recent policy debates to reflect on the challenges to improving statistical literacy. Since its publication ten years ago, __Damned Lies and Statistics__ has emerged as the go-to handbook for spotting bad statistics and learning to think critically about these influential numbers.

Does the number of children gunned down double each year? Does anorexia kill 150,000 young women annually? Do white males account for only a sixth of new workers? Startling statistics shape our thinking about social issues. But all too often, these numbers are wrong. This book is a lively guide to spotting bad statistics and learning to think critically about these influential numbers. Damned Lies and Statistics is essential reading for everyone who reads or listens to the news, for students, and for anyone who relies on statistical information to understand social problems.
Joel Best bases his discussion on a wide assortment of intriguing contemporary issues that have garnered much recent media attention, including abortion, cyberporn, homelessness, the Million Man March, teen suicide, the U.S. census, and much more. Using examples from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other major newspapers and television programs, he unravels many fascinating examples of the use, misuse, and abuse of statistical information.

In this book Best shows us exactly how and why bad statistics emerge, spread, and come to shape policy debates. He recommends specific ways to detect bad statistics, and shows how to think more critically about "stat wars," or disputes over social statistics among various experts. Understanding this book does not require sophisticated mathematical knowledge; Best discusses the most basic and most easily understood forms of statistics, such as percentages, averages, and rates.
This accessible book provides an alternative to either naively accepting the statistics we hear or cynically assuming that all numbers are meaningless. It shows how anyone can become a more intelligent, critical, and empowered consumer of the statistics that inundate both the social sciences and our media-saturated lives.

Here, By Popular Demand, Is The Updated Edition To Joel Best's Classic Guide To Understanding How Numbers Can Confuse Us. In His New Afterword, Best Uses Examples From Recent Policy Debates To Reflect On The Challenges To Improving Statistical Literacy. Since Its Publication Ten Years Ago, Damned Lies And Statistics Has Emerged As The Go-to Handbook For Spotting Bad Statistics And Learning To Think Critically About These Influential Numbers.--book Jacket. Introduction : The Worst Social Statistic Ever -- The Importance Of Social Statistics -- Soft Facts : Sources Of Bad Statistics -- Mutant Statistics : Methods For Mangling Numbers -- Apples And Oranges : Inappropriate Comparisons -- Stat Wars : Conflicts Over Social Statistics -- Thinking About Social Statistics : The Critical Approach. Joel Best. Previous Ed.: 2001. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Here, by popular demand, is the updated edition to Joel Best's classic guide to understanding how numbers can confuse us. In his new afterword, Best uses examples from recent policy debates to reflect on the challenges to improving statistical literacy. Since its publication ten years ago, Damned Lies and Statistics has emerged as the go-to handbook for spotting bad statistics and learning to think critically about these influential numbers. Startling statistics shape our thinking about social issues. But all too often, these numbers are wrong. This book guides to spotting bad statistics and learning to think critically about these influential numbers. It is suitable for students, and for those who rely on statistical information to understand social problems. Offers advice on how to understand social statistics and how to recognize bad statistics that are sometimes put out by the media, or special interest groups; and presents analyses of a selection of bad statistics Nineteenth-century Americans worried about prostitution; reformers called it "the social evil" and warned that many women prostituted themselves.