Stats Chat

Getting it right, again

Thomas Lumley — Mon, 28 May 2012 20:52:31 +0000

The Herald had a clicky poll on the proposed R-plate restricted-driving legislation, and has reported the results in an unobjectionable paragraph at the end of a good story getting input from experts. I’m not sure that the poll actually adds to the story, but at least it doesn’t subtract from it.

Getting it right

Thomas Lumley — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:39:06 +0000

You can report a self-selected sample responsibly: the Otago Daily Times shows how. Their lead: Ninety percent of people who have made submissions on the Queenstown Lakes District Council representation review want to keep an Arrowtown ward and councillor.

Wanna live longer? It may be too late.

Thomas Lumley — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:33:12 +0000

The Herald has a headline ”Wanna live longer? Look on the bright side”. The story goes on to say A study of 243 centenarians revealed that most were cheerful and sociable. The positive personality traits may be genetically based, the researchers believe. If it’s really genetics that produces the positive personality traits, the advice isn’t going [...]

Stat of the Week Winner: May 19-25 2012

Rachel Cunliffe — Mon, 28 May 2012 00:02:12 +0000

Thanks for all those who nominated in last week’s Stat of the Week competition. This week we’re awarding Jonathan Goodman’s nomination of some good reporting of migration statistics with explanations, figures for comparison and context in an article in the Dominion Post. We’ve talked about poor migration reporting in the past, so it is nice [...]

Stat of the Week Competition: May 26 – June 1 2012

Rachel Cunliffe — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:00:08 +0000

Each week, we would like to invite readers of Stats Chat to submit nominations for our Stat of the Week competition and be in with the chance to win an iTunes voucher. Here’s how it works: Anyone may add a comment on this post to nominate their Stat of the Week candidate before midday Friday June 1 2012. Statistics [...]

Stat of the Week Competition Discussion: May 26 – June 1 2012

Rachel Cunliffe — Sun, 27 May 2012 19:00:13 +0000

If you’d like to comment on or debate any of this week’s Stat of the Week nominations, please do so below!

Smoking taxes

Thomas Lumley — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:49:26 +0000

As you will have heard, excises on smoking are going up. This will raise money (to the extent that smokers don’t quit) and reduce smoking (to the extent that they do quit). If you’re interested in the modelling used to estimate the impact on these conflicting goals, the Treasury’s Regulatory Impact Statement is a well-written and [...]

NRL Predictions, Round 12

David Scott — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:54:43 +0000

Team Ratings for Round 12 Here are the team ratings prior to Round 12, along with the ratings at the start of the season. I have created a brief description of the method I use for predicting rugby games. Go to my Department home page to see this. Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference [...]

Super 15 Predictions, Week 14

David Scott — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:51:26 +0000

Team Ratings for Week 14 Here are the team ratings prior to Week 14, along with the ratings at the start of the season. I have created a brief description of the method I use for predicting rugby games. Go to my Department home page to see this. Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference [...]

New Hans Rosling video: Religions and babies

Rachel Cunliffe — Tue, 22 May 2012 21:29:10 +0000

Hans Rosling had a question: Do some religions have a higher birth rate than others — and how does this affect global population growth? Speaking at the TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar, he graphs data over time and across religions. With his trademark humor and sharp insight, Hans reaches a surprising conclusion on world fertility rates.