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Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists

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Author: Joel Best
Publisher: University of California Press
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$19.95~~
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Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 196
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8

ISBN: 0520219783
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.38
EAN: 9780520219786
ASIN: 0520219783

Publication Date: May 8, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Ex-library. 32-u Your purchase helps to provide training and employment for homeless and very low-income people.

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
When it comes to thinking about statistics, there are four kinds of people: awestruck, naive, cynical, and critical. According to sociologist Joel Best, the vast majority of people are naive (yes, you too probably suffer from a mild case of innumeracy), and the result is mutant statistics, guesswork, and poor policy decisions. "Bad statistics live on," writes Best in this highly accessible book, "they take on lives of their own." Take this one: a psychologist's estimate that perhaps 6 percent of priests were at some point sexually attracted to young people was transformed through a chain of errors into the "fact" that 6 percent of priests were pedophiles. Then there was the one about eating disorders. An original estimate that 150,000 women were anorexic, made by concerned activists, mutated into 150,000 women dying from the disorder annually (the truth: about 70 women a year). But these two mutant statistics have been published and passed along as facts for years, enduring long after the truth has been pointed out.p In an effort to turn people into critical thinkers, Best presents three questions to ask about all statistics and the four basic sources of bad ones. He shows how good statistics go bad; why comparing statistics from different time periods, groups, etc. is akin to mixing apples and oranges; and why surveys do little to clarify people's feelings about complex social issues. Random samples, it turns out, are rarely random enough. He also explains what all the hoopla is over how the poverty line is measured and the census is counted. What is the "dark figure"? How many men were really at the Million Man March? How is it possible for the average income per person to rise at the same time the average hourly wage is falling? And how do you discern the truth behind stat wars? Learn it all here before you rush to judgment over the next little nugget of statistics-based truth you read. I--Lesley Reed/I

Product Description
Does the number of children gunned down double each year? Does anorexia kill 150,000 young women annually? Do white males account for only a sixth of new workers? Startling statistics shape our thinking about social issues. But all too often, these numbers are wrong. This book is a lively guide to spotting bad statistics and learning to think critically about these influential numbers. Damned Lies and Statistics is essential reading for everyone who reads or listens to the news, for students, and for anyone who relies on statistical information to understand social problems. PJoel Best bases his discussion on a wide assortment of intriguing contemporary issues that have garnered much recent media attention, including abortion, cyberporn, homelessness, the Million Man March, teen suicide, the U.S. census, and much more. Using examples from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other major newspapers and television programs, he unravels many fascinating examples of the use, misuse, and abuse of statistical information. PIn this book Best shows us exactly how and why bad statistics emerge, spread, and come to shape policy debates. He recommends specific ways to detect bad statistics, and shows how to think more critically about "stat wars," or disputes over social statistics among various experts. Understanding this book does not require sophisticated mathematical knowledge; Best discusses the most basic and most easily understood forms of statistics, such as percentages, averages, and rates. PThis accessible book provides an alternative to either naively accepting the statistics we hear or cynically assuming that all numbers are meaningless. It shows how anyone can become a more intelligent, critical, and empowered consumer of the statistics that inundate both the social sciences and our media-saturated lives.

Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

hate the title but loved the book December 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The title comes from that quote attributed to Mark Twain. I don't like the title because I don't think it is right to equate statistics with lies. Some people who misuse statistics distort and tell lies though and since that is what the book is about the title is appropriate to deescribe the content. There are many good stories in here to learn from.

5 out of 5 stars

theroy November 30, 2008
you will never look at this the same after reading this book. Everyone must read

2 out of 5 stars

Promising topic, but.... June 11, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

...doesn't deliver on the substance. This book was very disappointing in its very superficial treatment of the topic.

5 out of 5 stars

Damn Lies and Statistics September 24, 2007
This truly excellent small book gives a thorough and non-mathematical overview of the dangers and usefulness of statistics. Giving real-life examples of statistical manipulation (without beating one over the head with mathematical formulae). A marvelous way to look at Social Statistics with an inquisitive and educated eye - without having to know the mathematical basis for statistical analysis. br /AS an undergrad I actually did graduate level work in statistics but enough years have passed that I would be hard pressed to use the knowledge. This book gave me an excellent way to look at statistics in such a way that they are now much more useful to me, not just in my clinical practice but in reading the newspaper.br /Emilio J. Vazquez, MD

5 out of 5 stars

Great book February 24, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

First and foremost, as an avid fan of the topic of Statistics in general, I felt compelled to read this book. I had read another of Joel Best's book, More Damned Lies and Statistics: How Numbers Confuse Public Issues, and it was shocking to say the least. In the process of deciding which book I was going to read I contemplated between How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff, but I felt that book was more of a `pocket-guide' instead of a dense book. Also, I wanted to read a book that was perhaps more current, in terms of publication than Huff's book. Published in 2001, Best's book shows some current social statistics, which perhaps may be more relevant in our time period. br /Upon finishing Best's book I notice that it was jam-packed with information that the average person wouldn't know about every day statistics. For example, he touches on the topic of AIDS statistics, and prostitution statistics, in an effort to show that the statistics are skewed. In my opinion, I think it was very appropriate that a sociologist wrote this book because, it is virtually a reflection of how society reports, views, and interprets statistics. It is mind-stirring when he shows that statistics on the same subject cannot be accurately compared if they are from a different time-period. Due to the fact that Ceteris Paribas is not present when comparing statistics from different time periods, in essence they are like comparing, as Best puts it, "apples to oranges".br /Also, another startling area of the book is when Best describes the misunderstanding and the fallacies that occur with reporting and interpreting statistics. For instance, in chapter three of his book, he reports that an estimated 150 thousand women are diagnosed with anorexia, or better known as the most common eating disorders among young women. While that may be a `good' statistic, people began to misinterpret that statistic with the conclusion that 150 thousand women die because of anorexia. This fallacy occurred because people assume that anorexia can be fatal, and since 150 thousand of them had it, they then assumed all of them died. This, as Best puts it, is far from the truth, as less than 100 of them actually die (roughly around 70). He gives other examples of common social problems with statistics and shows that a post-hoc fallacy is very common in a world where people are rather naive when it comes to statistics in general.br /Perhaps the notion of statistics causing social problems is one too radical for the average American to recognize. How can statistics be the cause of problems? Best also addresses that a `bad' statistics can cause social problems. On page fifty, Best explains how "measurement decisions are hidden" and often times some statistical reports ignore controversies about measurement, and even well-established measures can be controversial. Not surprisingly, some of the measurement decisions, are just plain wrong. The reports to some statistics that the media feeds us are just completely wrong. br /Best mentions another rather relevant problem; "questionable definitions". He cites that often times the definitions for a particular statistic are vague and can easily be manipulated. He asks us to consider the flurry of media coverage about `epidemics'. We must ask ourselves, what is an epidemic? More importantly, how does the particular author reporting the statistic define what an epidemic is? Making a vague statement like that can be very dangerous to society. It can spread false fears, and in essence, a misrepresented sense of reality. Another important factor when determining if a statistic is manipulated is based on sample size. Best gives us examples of how a small sample size is really a poor basis for generalizations. For example, let's consider that I ask 3 women to give their view on abortion and they can either choose pro-life or pro-choice. My results are going to be 0%, 33.3%, 66.6%, or 100%, depending on their responses. However, it is absurd to think that a true conclusion can be drawn from such a small sample size. br /I feel this book is a great book to read, not only for entertainment purposes, but also as a preventative measure regarding everyday statistics that we encounter. In his final chapter "The Critical Approach", he requests that we use a method of critical thinking when viewing statistics. The author encourages us as a society, to interpret statistics in a skeptical manner, but warns us not to be cynical. We cannot just take statistics at face value. I feel that we hold a responsibility to inform ourselves and view new information with a skeptics view. It is vital to prevent social chaos by swallowing every bit of numbers from the media, politicians, and activists. I think that perhaps if society took a less naive approach to things of this nature, then we would not have so many "stat wars" in our society. Finally, the most important part of the book is that it encourages the reader to take a skeptic view on social statistics. I recommend this book to virtually any active member of our culture.br /br /br /br /br /br /br /br /

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