How to interpret data

How to Interpret Data

By Charles Musing

Introduction

We hear numbers, figures, data, and dare I say "facts" every day. My research concludes that the overwhelming majority of national and social media intentionally or accidentally present these in a misleading manner, which is disheartening. It is counterproductive to honest conversation and solutioning for a better world, it is extremely divisive to people who have more in common than not, and it is damaging to the growth of human intellect. Media sources, especially large well-funded organizations, are in a position, given their resources, to be able to educate and inform, but largely they misinform and promote ignorance.

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to articulate basic principals in data interpretation and caution consumers, especially of media, to be very skeptical of conclusions and opinions being conveyed to them.

An example of how even real, factual data can be grossly misinterpreted is provided.

Key Terms

• association

Further Reading

For those wishing to know more, I highly recommend resources like www.freakonomics.com. In particular, the books Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics have some fascinating insights and revelations of how interesting and dangerous data interpretation can be.

CharlesMusing (talk) 11:57, 26 November 2024 (EST)