Misleading Statistics: Data Manipulation & Lies

Statistics can also lie when the data collected is of two different groups. This data will be misleading and untrue for example comparing an electric tractor, and a manual one in terms of production will produce statistics that are untrue, yet many salespersons give such kind of skewed statistics to mislead clients. Statistics comparing the growth of grade three students and those in grade nine is not only misleading but a lie.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Statistics can also be manipulated when definitions of the data collected are not clear. Definitions can either be too broad. "Definitions that are too broad result in data that include many false positives - descriptions that are too narrow result in many false negatives (Rempfer, 2013).

Although there are many ways to cheat through statistics, there also benefits of the same for instance, statistics get a significant body of information and gets relevant facts that help people in making informed decisions. Statistics are also vital for planning for programs, and later contribute to monitor and evaluate the applications. Governments use statistics to distribute resources among its people.Statistics help in giving good explanations about a phenomenon of nature. Statistics help in assembling of data. Statistics help to present data in a simple manner, especially in graphs for precise and easy comprehension.

Statistics have demerits in that they deal with combined data, not individuals; the data presented in statistics is also only accurate on average. Collected statistical data for a particular purpose is only useful for that purpose. It is also impossible to compare analyzed statistics unless the data is equal in character.

References

Best, J. (2001). Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media,Politicians, and Activists. Los Angeles: University of California press.

Huff, D. (1954). How to Lie with Statistics. New york: W.W. Norton & Company.

Rempfer, J. S. (2013, january 3). STATISTICAL MANIPULATION: An examination of various subjective methods used in data collection and presentation. Salt Lake , Utah, United states.