August 26, 2006
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Statistics
A recent study suggest that 68% of statistics are made up at the moment that they are quoted.
Do you trust statistics?
A recent study suggest that 68% of statistics are made up at the moment that they are quoted.
Do you trust statistics?
Comments (143)
nope
WoW first?
no
I do if they are from a reliable source.
That’s the oldest one in the book…I trust some statistics, if they’re reasonable.
The ironic thing is, what you just wrote is also a statistic.
It might be, but I find it unlikely. Mainly because I don’t trust statistics.
I bet you just made that up.
Statistician: somebody who drowned in a lake with an average depth of six inches.
Most of the time. But you have to be realistic about it too. The average person may have 1.2 children, but there is no such thing as .2 of a child either.
No. Statistics can be manipulated by the questioner.
-Guru on the Hill
More than I trust my parents.
No because I’m one of those people gulity of making them up.
And you can manipulate data in your favor and statistics are from data so….
They sure as hell makes us look smarter whenever we say “Statistics shows that….”
I heard it was 42 %
.. and no, I don’t trust them.
first comment here, been reading for a while…thanks for the thought provoking questions!
Abby
Figures lie and liars figure…………..so you decide what I think!
LOLLLL, no
Clearly, the fabricators of these statistics didn’t go to a Swiss hotel school. If so, they would have been frightened by the very idea of not researching and referencing. That’s all:)
no, for they are ever changing.
Sometimes, not all of the time though.
never
12.2% of the time i do…87.8% of the time i don’t…
(yes, that was pulled out of my ass)
Nope
I try to use discretion
STATISTICS: a Mathematical toy!
some of them I do
77% of me dislikes statistics…
As Mark Twain put it (though some people attribute the quote to other sources), “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
Not really. Statistics depend on the demographic of where the statistician is at the moment. The only true representation of opinion is to ask every man, woman, and child. And that’s not possible. I take statistics with a very large grain of salt.
No, because they so often contradict each other.
depends on who says it and what it’s about. and i’ve made up a few myself just to prove my point when i’m arguing with someone…
veronica
Not all
never do, never did…unless they actualy make sense
Not unless I can reference the research from which they are derived.
Your site is 100% bullshit. And 100% sucks the big donkey’s pen is.
nope
theyre fake
Only if I like what they prove.
yeah uhm i dont kow if you meant this to be a joke, but i dont think a lot of readers just realized u used a statistic, oh well, if u did then good job i thought it was funny, if not well my answer is i dont pay much attention to statistics, so i really dont know………..
Sometimes
sometimes not always for example i dont believe that one
no, not really (keep in mind theres a + or – 49% margin of error in that statement)
some of the time
I always do a reasonableness test, then if the info is importaint enough, try to gather my own proof.
Yes … 68% of the time. *heh*
depends on the sources…
ryc: i suppose that would give us the day off.
Very much, but I need to see were they came from before I trust them. “Figures don’t lie, but liars figure”.
Those that enjoy arguing from ignorance or use outright lies, love to bash all stats, as if they are all big lies. If you can convince us, that everyone lies and all facts are contrived, then the most ignorant of fools and biggest liars opinion, hold the same vanity as anyone else’s. If you don’t have the facts on your side, make the case that the truth can’t be known and you still have a chance to win the argument.
Its called sophistry, few know about it, most fall for it.
sometimes, if they are from a reliable source.
Not really…
Sometimes.
Most of the time, but it depends on their sources…
I like how you worded this question
Tricky, tricky!
no
I don’t trust 95.2435 % of statistics…
LOL I try to look into all the ones that I am concerned about. otherwise, they really don’t matter. I do tent to ask people when they qoute stats, where they got them. they will quickly change their story.
nope
Less now
nah
sometimes you can trust them some times you cant
Nope.
10% of the time
I agree 85%!!
there was a book in my elementary school’s library called “How to lie with statistics” (yes i said elementary) i checked it out on several occasions. so no. I prefer rough estimates based on my own information, which are probably wrong just as often as statistics, so id diesn’t really matter, does it?
Only the ones that have been found by researchers who I trust.
87% of the time, I don’t trust them.
Or toasters. Toasters are evil.
not at all
No… What happens when reality oversteps it? prepair for the impossible… not what might likely happen. you will find that you will be fair better prepaired than most.
u made that up:)
sometimes
sometimes.
It depends, on whether or not I agree with the statistic. But regardless I’m bound to quote it.
i don’t know anything about statistics but i can tell you that they deside who’s number one on the billboard charts before the cd’s are actually out. it has nothing to do with sales anymore… it has to do with money and promotions.
oh and projected growths….
“There are lies, damned lies, and then statistics.”
Stats can be very accurate and informative, IF you know where they come from and what they mean. It’s when people take a stat and use it to prove something that’s not quite true, or make assumptions (for example seeing 2 things are correlated and assuming that one causes the other) that aren’t necessarily true. Many times I’ll hear the results of some study and my first instinct is to ask questions about the validity of the study.
nope
Can you give me a source?
If they’re from a study, I take them into account. If they’re in someone’s signature on a forum, heck no!
According to a recent study by the institute of incomplete information, 4 out of 5
However I did hear that 3 out of 4 Americans make up 75% of the American people.
Not when I see them. I need to see the facts, the studies, in order to believe it 100%
.
Sometimes
Of course, all of them. Or not.
Nope.
i’d say about 98.54% of the time i don’t.
Hahaha, that’s funny! xD
Well, it’s important to be critical when looking at anything. Doing research on how studies were gone about is important.
actually 85% of statistics are made up.lol
Not really
reasonable but not always correct
I too trust them 18.362% of the time. Ass-statistics!
nah
Only if I get them straight from the source and not from a “cool facts” page or anything of the like.
7 out of every 6 statistics is made up.
“60% of the time it works every time”
I heard 47%
And, yes, as long as I review how the statistic was acquired, and it comes from a reliable source. Problem with statistics is that there’s always the possibility of being wrong, but if it’s a good statistic, the probability of it being right is much better.
Really?…I just heard it was 67%….
57% of the time i make up my own statistics
I heard that 8/10 people believe statistics.
ppsh. No.
When ever someone says a statisic I just forget all about them.
Unless its like at some offical confrence or a planed out speech.
Depends on the source
Depends. I wouldn’t trust statistics run by a political party or something that wouldn’t be impartial.
Only when I make them up.
Never. The same statistic can be looked at three different ways, and have twelve different conclusions drawn from it.
About 10% of your readers will say “yes” 70% will say “no”, and 20% will remain undecided or wish to qualify their response.
in most cases no… there are sometimes when I trust the source, but for the most part nope.
No. They interview four random people walking around the mall and say the 50% of all people have diabetes. It’s moronic.
depends on the source of the statistics.
I think its just a number,
no.
Haha, did you make up that number just now?
That’s one of my favorite things to say to people, but I heard it’s 87%.
Mostly not…
Well, if that is true, than there is a 68% chance that is not true. But if it is false, than what is the percentage, because it must be alot. I don’t trust statistics they are usually true, but are “arranged” persay.
nope
seeing that i studied stats for a couple months~
It all depends on the source. I make up statistics some times…
depends who is providing the stats about what
about 65% of the time.
You mean like polls? Often, the ratio of people interviewed seems to be a lot less than the whole population that it represents. Also, interviewers can be very selective about who they choose if they want, and can ask biased questions. For instance, someone could interview people saying “Are you in favor of the troops dying in Iraq?” Then, I’m sure lots of people would say no. That person could make a poll saying that people don’t support the war in Iraq. Another person could say something like “Do you support the troops, and wish them luck?” I’m sure many more people would say yes.
no.
No, lol.
no!!
Statistics can be very useful if information is properly gathers and analyzed, but too often the analysis of what has been gathered is wrong because analysts often overlook mitigating circumstances in the process of reviewing results. Even more frequently, the guy or gal on the street will simply pull numbers out of the air to support an assertion.
I tend to look at who is using statistics and what their sources are before I accept them, and even then I may attempt to verify those statistics before I rely on them.
Statistically, no. On the other hand, they are alot of fun to make-up for any given situation
I generally trust statistics. I just don’t always trust the way they are presented.
Maybe you’re going to Hooters too often. They have that written on the back of their napkins.
Not at all, because they can be shaped and manipulated to say anything.
I like statistics. I don’t have any personal expectations based on them, however.
Never
not really
Not this one. Did you make it up?
I usually trust statistics, yes. But after reading that, I’m not so sure anymore. O_O
is this a made up statistic?
no unless it counts the entire population
For the most part. But not that one, no. I heard it was 82%
I have made up several on the spot, so I wouldn’t trust anybody else’s statistics either- 48% of the time
“98% of teenagers have either smoke pot or drink alcohol. Post this in your profile if you are one of the 2% that hasn’t.”
After that kind of shit, I don’t think it’s rational to believe any kind of atatistic unless you’ve seen it proven yourself. That’s just me, though.
PS: There isn’t enough marijuana or alcohol in the world to supply it to 98% of teenagers, and much more than 2% of the teenage population has retained some common sense.
It depends on how much I personally knnow about that spacific subject and how much I know other people know or will admit to certain things.
yeah i’ve heard that too, but no, i rarely trust them.
some times, it depends on what the statistic is.
never have never will
sometimes that statistic is true.
but most likely not always.
i mean, they have to do research.
so right then right there. i dont think its true to all the extent.
hmm. if i have nothing else to go by.. i’ll go with stats.. but it’s too easy to change them around…
As someone who has some training in the social sciences, I know that statistics (although often claimed as objective) can be manipulated by the researcher. Although statisticians pride themselves on being unbiased, it is impossible for them to eliminate their subconscious bias because it is in fact, behind their conscious reasoning. Some numbers do present a fairly representative sample, but more often that not, junk science, promoted by some party with a vested interest happens to reveal a number that is in favor of the hypothesis of the researchers themselves. that is, roughly 51% of the time….
Oh, the irony!
heck no.
For the most part.