1. The problem(s) with statistics Lies…damned lies…statistics

2. Many reported statistics are… Incorrect! Mutant statistics (J. Best, 2001). Causes: –Mathematical illiteracy (innumeracy) –Deliberate misrepresentation of data

3. Social statistics Provide a description of society –(e.g., some social group or social problem or issue, such as homelessness, pregnant teens, homicide, college graduates, ironworkers, family income in Illinois, computers in schools)

4. Statistics Are a social construction –Created by people for social purposes –Somebody decides what to count, how to count it, and how to interpret and report the statistics.

5. BAD STATISTICS: Created in at least 4 ways: –Guessing –Poor definition of the construct –Flawed measurements –Weak sampling methods

6. Characteristics of Good Statistics Based on more than simply guessing. Based on clear, reasonable definitions. Based on clear, reasonable measures. Based on good, representative samples.

7. Assessing a statistic What are the sources for this number? How could one produce this figure? What are the interests of the person(s) who produced the statistic? How have key terms been defined? How has phenomenon of interest been measured? How was sample obtained and how does sample affect the results? Is the statistic properly interpreted? Are competing statistics presented?