The big idea
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Eleven lessons, seven questions
Usable in a supermarket, a doctor’s appointment, or a meeting.
Statistics for Everyday Life · Lesson 6
Statistics in Everyday Decisions
beginner⏱ 18 min · 7 cards
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Seven Questions
The seven questions, applied to "violent crime rose 12% last year".
Both "crime is rising" and "crime is falling" can be defended from the same year, depending on the measure chosen.
Run a real headline through the checklist.
Where it lands
Everyday applications
Tap each.
Key term
Know when to stop
Should you analyse every statistic?
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No
Reversible, low-stakes decisions are best made quickly. Save the apparatus for claims that are consequential, hard to reverse, or shaped by someone with an incentive.
Nuance
Plain language
Think like a Maester
If you cannot restate a statistic without jargon, you have not understood it. Use frequencies, give the baseline, state the range.
Quick check
Why can a random sample of 1,000 represent millions?
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