When I was 16 or 17 years old sat in sociology class i remember my tutor saying ‘There are lies, damn lies and statistics’.
I felt like I understood it at the time but my understanding has definitely grown over time with experience.
The thing with numbers is we associate them with mathematics, facts and truth.
But statistics is something else entirely. Numbers can be skewed and manipulated to prove or represent anything.
If you’re collecting data in the hope’s of proving a particular point, chances are you’ll find a way.
And so when it comes to numbers we have to remember that they aren’t always representing facts.
The Daily Gemm 