TED: 3 ways to spot a bad statistic | Mona Chalabi

Why is it important to be skeptical about statistics?

• Numbers never change.

• Statistics are only used by conspiracy theorists.

• To discern which numbers are reliable.

• Because all statistics are false.

What is a potential consequence of eliminating government data collection?

• More accurate private company statistics.

• Inability to observe and address discrimination.

• Increased government transparency.

• Improved public trust in statistics.

What did the speaker learn from working with the United Nations?

• Numbers are more important than people.

• Statistics are always accurate.

• The importance of questioning data.

• Data should never be shared with the public.

What is one issue with political polls according to the speaker?

• They can damage democracy by predicting outcomes.

• They are always accurate.

• They are based on scientific facts.

• They are only used in the US.

How can data visualizations mislead people?

• By understating certainty.

• By being too simple.

• By overstating certainty.

• By using too many colors.

What is the purpose of hand-drawn visualizations?

• To confuse the audience.

• To make data look more professional.

• To highlight the imprecision and human element in data.

• To show the precision of data.

Why is it important to see yourself in the data?

• To ignore global statistics.

• To understand the context and relevance of data.

• To ensure all data is about you.

• To make data collection easier.

What should you consider about data collection methods?

• They are irrelevant to data accuracy.

• They are always transparent and simple.

• They can significantly impact the reliability of data.

• They are only important for private companies.

Why might government statistics be more reliable than private statistics?

• They are collected by civil servants who are impartial.

• They are collected less frequently.

• They are always more detailed.

• They are never questioned.

What is a common issue with private company statistics?

• They are never used in marketing.

• They are always accurate.

• They prioritize getting the right numbers over accuracy.

• They are collected by the government.