Probably to support racism. Like the black people crime statistics.
By using unrelated data to prove a point.
96.3 % of all statistics are misleading.
87.7% of statistics are made up on the spot.
99.7% of general questions about statistics have this same joke at least once in the replies
Bonus points for three standard deviations
correlation and causation. even useless stats comparing apples and oranges, the numbers generated are only as good as the study design and methods.
By training an algorithm that will have an impact on said statistics. Not only the algorithm can cheat (see Goodhart’s law), but it can repeat biases that led to these statistics (like those law enforcement algorithms that became racists)
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You are describing Google Ads right now. Algorithms are better and better in reaching to poeple that are already on the purchase patch. It’s like giving a restaurant flayers to people that are waiting for a weiter to show them a table.
Aren’t our ads amazing? Look, almost everyone who saw them made the purchase!
Analytics that ignores Goodharts law ruin everything. Movies, HR, Marketing (not much to ruin left, but you get the point), performancet review, recommendations…
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As a math guy, I hate when people say statistics is math. Like yeah, there are equations, and math plays a role, but the results so often speak more to the selection and interpretation choices made by the statistician than to any kind of mathematical rigor.
Averages. They’re almost always a bullshit flag if it’s tied to anything remotely political. If you’re not going to also give the standard deviation and skew then at least use median.
“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” ― Mark Twain
…as a drunken man uses lamp posts — for support rather than illumination.
The question makes me remember Daryl Bem, a celebrated social psychologist. He published a much cited article called “Writing the Empirical Journal Article”. About 15 years ago, he used this advice to prove that humans can see into the future. His advice is probably still used to teach. That’s probably the worst thing you can do.
On people who dont understand them to paint an incomplete picture of reality. Misleadingly.
Truncated graphs. I hate them but they are so often (ab)used, even in professional situations.
To cherry pick it and use it to promote fascist views
Not making sure the result even makes sense. There was a real example, where a ~2010 news article said that the number of crimes in their city has been doubling every year since ~1980.
That is not possible. Assume that there was one crime in 1980. In 2010, there must be at least 2^20 crimes.
When you mix statistics with marketing.
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