[Closed] What's your favourite 'dubious' statistic??

Every statistic about education. No matter from whom.

92% of all statistics are invented.

Mackem beat me to it.

The Telegraph's claim that there were [url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environment/9546004/Just-100-cod-left-in-North-Sea.html ]"Only 100 Cod Left in the North Sea"[/url]

They've added a note at the bottom of their web edition, correcting themselves and that by '100', they meant '21 million'. A more realistic figure is actually 'half a billion'.

The problem isn't statistics it the reporting of statistics. Papers report the end figure of a study without being clear (or bothering to find out) what was actually being studied. The basis of Cameron's 'Broken Britain' campaign was statistics like "1 in 4 children in the UK had committed a violent crime". The figure, complete with a picture of a hooded youth ended up on the cover of Time Magaazine. What non of the news coverage carried was what question was being asked to get that answer. The question was 'Have you ever hit, shoved or knocked someone over with the result that they got hurt?'

4 out of 5 land rovers ever made are still on the road ......

often quoted on car programs regarding the land rover.

utter tosh.

although there are more series land rovers around than there are vauxhall novas 😀

9 out of 10 people enjoy a gang rape

"People can come up with statistics to prove anything. 14% of people know that".
Homer J Simpson

Niiiick.... 😕

DrP

I love this. It's the same 'statistic' expressed in a number of different ways. Some sound a lot scarier than others but it all means the same.

[img] [/img]

"They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time"

Bonus points if you can guess the character and film (really isn't hard).

I'm 120% committed to this project.

"87% of Americans are chronically dehydrated"..[i]

On which note, I was reminded of this the other day - which made me chuckle.
http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c6761

"They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time"

Bonus points if you can guess the character and film (really isn't hard).

23% of film quotes are actually from Anchorman. 😉

6 out of 7 dwarves aren't Happy (but only 1 is actually Grumpy) 😉

Giving 110%

😆

[i]Giving 110%[/i]

slight hi-jack (and genuine question) is that a statistic?

1 in 10 accidents are caused by drunk drivers, so 9 out of 10 are caused by sober drivers !

The vast majority of people have more than than average number of legs

Not stats per se but I love those little nuggets that have passed into Lore;

Coffee dehydrates you, you lose heat through your head. and so on

Complete bollards, but repeated so often they've become 'facts'

They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time.

those little nuggets that have passed into Lore

Like the fact that a pint of cider is one of your 5 a day?

[i]you lose heat through your head[/i]

do you not then?

those little nuggets that have passed into Lore

Over-egging the merits of the health benefits of Guinness...
"Sorry sir, you're in fact an alcoholic, not a health freak" doesn't get received so well!!

DrP

If you like your statistics being debunked have a listen to Radio 4s More Or Less.

only 60% of French people own a toothbrush
85% of Swiss men have had a homosexual experience
And Swiss German is a dialect of German, much like Dutch (not a statistic as such, but winds the Ditch up no end ...)

Giving 110%

I think this is acceptable. It's just a way of emphasising your commitment to something or somebody, like saying 'I'd go to the moon and back for you' or 'I'd give my right arm for a cup of tea right now'

You'd struggle to drink it though (Lefty weirdos aside)

maccruiskeen - Member

The Telegraph's claim that there were "Only 100 Cod Left in the North Sea"

They've added a note at the bottom of their web edition, correcting themselves and that by '100', they meant '21 million'. A more realistic figure is actually 'half a billion'.

I think you've misunderstood, the headline is sensationalist, but in the body it is clear the 100 figure refers to cod over 13 years old, the correction at the bottom doesn't dispute that figure.

[i]"there are a small number of cod over the age of 12 years old which has always been the case in the North Sea [/i]

The use of "fastest growing", often associated with a new sport. I've just invented drunken screwdriver fencing, I told my mate about it and now it's the worlds fastest growing sport, having increased 100% in 2 seconds. At this rate everyone on earth will be playing it in just over a minute.

That 2 billion people watched the royal wedding worldwide. Utter nonsense but widely reported.

[i]I think this is acceptable. It's just a way of emphasising your commitment to something or somebody, like saying 'I'd go to the moon and back for you' or 'I'd give my right arm for a cup of tea right now'[/i]

I like that! Ooh, that's one less thing in the world that is going to annoy me now. So, thanks! 😀

The average number of legs is less than 2

Both true and yet so obviously misleading
It shows why you also need to look at more than the statistic

If you buy your lottery ticket on Monday you are more likely to die before the draw than win it

The "93% of communication is non-verbal" rubbish, based on a study which says nothing of the sort, whose author has gone on the record saying it has been taken out of context.

Yet still it is trotted out by every moronic power-dressed communication and management consultant... at which point I interrupt, point out to them (verbally) how they have it wrong and walk out (non-verbally). 👿

[i]If you buy your lottery ticket on Monday you are more likely to die before the draw than win it [/i]

I am never going to buy a lottery ticket again. The kill people!!!

😉

The average number of legs is less than 2

You need to specify which average 😉

I think you know what I mean

IGMC

..and of which species...!!

I think stats CAN be quite interesting, and enjoy discussing it with patients.

I always use the analogy (and others, feel free to borrow it) of the "[b]DrP lightening conductor helmet[/b](TM)":
-if I were to offer you a huge, cumbersome metal helmet that you wore day in/day out, that would guarantee to reduce your chance of being struck fatally by lightening by 10,000%, would you wear it??

😉

DrP

If you buy your lottery ticket on Monday you are more likely to die before the draw than win it

4 out of 5 land rovers ever made are still on the road

"If you do not fart at least 28 times a day, you are unhealthy"

Heard this in secondary school, and have always quoted this when trumping.

If you don't blink when you sneeze your eyes fall out.

Eyes are useless if you carry on with 'that'...

DrP

Employment is rising. But only if you look at it as individual people in work, rather than as full time equivalents. Once you include underemployment, the level of employment is actually falling.

bikebouy - Member

Giving 110%

Totally possible, depends on how you frame it. Similiar to, say, engine ratings where it's common to run them at above 100%.

Santa Cruz bikes all cost 7k

3% of singletrackers have peed in someone's shoes.
14% of all baby robins die due to wheel based debates.

Everyone in the world could fit on the Isle of Wight (although you may struggle to book a B&B)

100% of the people who have used the word lightening on this thread meant lightning.

[excluding this post, obvs]

obvs, I was just lightning the load... 🙂

DrP

Giving 110%

slight hi-jack (and genuine question) is that a statistic?

It's a figure of speech, research has proven it's used by 89% of Apprentice hopefuls.

That women earn 72 cents for every dollar a man earns.

On average, you eat 8 spiders a year whilst asleep

http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/spiders.asp

There are more people alive today than have ever lived on the planet since time began .

continuity - Member

That women earn 72 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Anything related to politics.

Might as well blindfold a chimp and get him to chuck a dart at a board to get the answer.

Eight out of tens cats is (are?) a TV show.

Ninety-nine percent of gargoyles look like Bob Todd.

WorldClassAccident - Member
If you buy your lottery ticket on Monday you are more likely to die before the draw than win it

I am never going to buy a lottery ticket again. The kill people!!

Then kill people? 😯 😆

The ones that make me cross are 'range' statistics where they quote the wrong end of the range in order to sound better. Like, "SALE: save up to 40%!" Sounds good, right, must be a massive sale? But it's meaningless, it's saying that the most you'll ever save is 40%, they could have one product at 40% off and everything else in the sale at a 1% reduction. "Save [i]at least[/i] this much" would be far more helpful (but doesn't look as good on shop window displays).

Everyone in the world could fit on the Isle of Wight (although you may struggle to book a B&B)

Seems plausible. The ones at the bottom might have a headache though.

^^^
You wanna shop in Next!
They DO say "At least 50% off sale items" (hence the queues at 5am.....)

DrP

"At least 50% off sale items"

Does that mean that they cut at least one leg off each pair of trousers??

In which case, is the sale aimed at people with an average number of legs??

Not dubious but its a fact and it has just irked me.

When I park in a supermarket car park with 9 spaces around me the next three cars will park in spaces adjacent to me.

Not sure of the provenance but I'm sure there is one going around recently that says 90% of all the photographs ever take in history happened in the last year

(due to the huge numbers of phones with cameras).

"Women earn 27% less than men"

Alrighty then...

Ninety-nine percent of gargoyles look like Bob Todd.

*Like*

"The average length is 6 inches"

I can spot a lie when I see one.

You can get you recommended intake of vitamin C from just 11 pints of larger.

1 in 4 people are mentally ill. Check three friends, if they're ok you're it.

onehundredthidiot - Member
Not dubious but its a fact and it has just irked me.

When I park in a supermarket car park with 9 spaces around me the next three cars will park in spaces adjacent to me

9 spaces? Don't you mean 8? And in reality aren't there just 5?

Heard from a politician on the radio, in a shocked something must be done voice, "50% of British people are below average intelligence"

There are more people alive today than have ever lived on the planet since time began .

Err... That doesn't even make sense.

I'd heard it that 10% of the people to have ever lived are alive today. Even that seems rather extreme!

40% of sick days are on a Monday or a Friday. Highly suspicious.

1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. in my family there are 5 of us. I'm not sure if its Colin or Zhang We. I think its Colin. (maybe not verbatim but you get the idea)

We gave 110%. No you didn't f-ktard!

Also, x increases your chance of cancer by y %. Whilst this could be true, anyone who understands stats realises that a 30% increase really isn't much when the original chance is minute!

Eddiebaby, yes 5 adjacent to me then one on either side of them, two per row, two rows, so 9 in total.

One parked so close they had to do car door limbo to get out. Don't mind just don't get why you'd park hard against someone in a half full car park when there are closer spaces to the shop.

More people are killed by vending machines than sharks.

I'd heard it that 10% of the people to have ever lived are alive today. Even that seems rather extreme!

The Population Reference Bureau reckon it's 7 billion alive today.

107 billion ever lived.

IPCC

40% of sick days are on a Monday or a Friday. Highly suspicious.

Love that one 🙂

http://dilbert.com/strip/1996-04-17

jon1973 - Member
Everyone in the world could fit on the Isle of Wight

I heard this one about 30 years ago, people have got a lot fatter since then.

And there are 3 billion more of them too!