Ok. I fiiiiiiiiinally have the internet back. However, I'm tired and the gf is being sooky so I'm just posting quickly and this time I can give you a time frame. 3 days. Things will be back to weekly. So anyways!
Statistics are stupid.
Probably my longest and most passionate rant!!!
Umpteenth percent of people know that. For some reason, statistics have enough place in society to warrant the worlds best job, that of the “statistician”. The media, most often newspapers, often use statistics to emphasise their point, cause uproar, or to make their point using what I feel is effectively deceipt.
For instance, you might get the Herald Sun or The Age, (more likely the HS, I read it but fuck me it's turning in to a gigantic gossip column), with a headline Our Drug Fueled Children, supported by statistics saying that 60% of kids between 14-17 have tried marijuana and 25% have tried other illicit drugs.
So, the reason I'd find this particular example flawed:
No matter how much you guarantee it, kids will never be mature enough to believe or trust in the anonimity of surveys, so you will get kids that falsely answer yes due to peer pressure thinking other kjids will find out and think that they're cooler. Then you'll have the kids that refuse to trust that the results will not be released to their teachers or parents, and falsely answer no.
Then you have other variables, such as the type of school, government, low level private, or “elite” level private. The area the survey is conducted in can and will, throw the statistics to an unreasonably flawed level.
In summary, I'm doing a survey on the percentage of people that live in Government housing. If I ask 100 people on the Government estate, I'd get a really high percentage, in an affluent suburb, really low.
So to be fair you ask in a middle class suburb. BANG!!! Your statistics are still flawed. For example, in Melbourne, Flemington is an expensive inner city Suburb. My statistics will be much higher there than a cheaper suburb because Flemington and the surrounding suburbs have several hi-rise, high density public housing estates.
Doesn't matter though, because I've been fair in gathering my statistics, and I can use a headline saying, 70% of Melbourne residents live in public housing.
3 comments:
i agree completely...
i get so fkn annoyed every day when i listen to the news in the car on the way to work. granted its on fox fm so probably takes most of its new items from the herald sun anyway!
every single morning there is something about how statistics have proven something totally random. if you identify the right target group you could prove that eating crusts will make your hair go curly - that is if you interview a group of people who love crusts and already have curly hair...
that is all
hahaha.. i take it pep eats his crusts??? tell ya what peoples pelvis' obviously eat a lot of bread!!!
lol too right he does!
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