Reading the Evidence
What a correlation between places cannot tell you about the people inside them
A pattern across towns does not automatically describe the people living in them. Learn to spot the jump from group data to an individual claim.
CONTEXT FOR EVERYDAY CURIOSITY
data literacy
Understanding the News
A rolling average smooths a news chart by remembering earlier days
Read a seven-day rolling average without mistaking it for today’s raw count. A simple numerical example shows why one unusual day can linger.
Reading Population Data
Median Age Describes a Population, Not a Typical Lifespan
Understand what median age says about a population, why it differs from life expectancy, and what an age distribution can reveal beyond one number.
Reading the Evidence
A Survey Response Rate Is Not the Same as Its Sample Size
Read survey response rates alongside sample size, eligibility and recruitment details instead of treating one percentage as a verdict on accuracy.
Numbers in Context
An Index Starting at 100 Shows Change From a Chosen Base
Read an index set to 100 without treating its points as currency, and calculate percentage changes from the right starting value.
Numbers in Context
A Population Total and an Annual Migration Flow Count Different Things
Distinguish a population measured at a particular date from migration counted over a period before comparing headline numbers.
Reading the News
Equal Steps on a Logarithmic Chart Represent Equal Ratios
On a logarithmic chart, equally spaced marks can represent multiplication rather than addition. Read the axis before comparing slopes.
Reading the News
A Record High Depends on Where the Record Starts
Read a record-high headline by checking the starting year, measurement and coverage, then distinguish the reported record from a claim about all history.
Reading Numbers
Rounded Percentages Can Make a Chart Total More Than 100
See how rounding can make percentages total 99 or 101, and learn when to inspect the underlying figures instead of assuming an error.