Why people are surprised by statistics: examples and context

Speaking of Research

It was surprising to read the details of everything that goes into research in order to get the final wanted product. It was also surprising to read about all of the statistics that are taken out of context in order to prove a particular point. However, as shocking as it was to read that most statistics are portrayed in an incorrect fashion, it was not that surprising to read that this is done so that readers could believe the point-of-view that the reporter of these statistics is attempting to make. The entire reasoning behind stating statistics is to convince the readers of a particular issue. Although the website was attempting to open people's eyes concerning the truth about how statistics can be reported in an incorrect manner, I also found that this website was in itself biased in the information that it was portraying (Lovell-Badge, 2013). However, despite the website's attempt at telling people that statistics are not always what they are made out to be, the website itself is subjective in this reporting. Not once was the other side acknowledged, nor was there a sense of understanding about why the opposing side may slightly exaggerate the reporting of these statistics. But overall, the site's purpose was completed and their reporting about the unfairness of statistics was put forth.

People are very quick to believe reported statistics. This phenomenon occurs because when statistics are reported, they usually come from a reputable source. Most of the world is uneducated or has very little education therefore they believe what they are told. To them, who are they to question numbers that come from an educational source. When individuals hear about research reports, it is automatically assumed that it was a group of educated researchers or scientists who were the ones that conducted the study at hand. Therefore this thought comes across as being believable, and people do not question the reliability nor the validity of the numbers being reported. The media has also had a great deal of influence in what people are exposed to and what they hear, therefore, this entire infrastructure is based on the idea that if something goes as far as being reported on the news or in a newspaper, then the statistics reported must be true. This stems from the trust that we are taught to foster in our media system.

The website at hand focuses on the discrepancies in the reporting of statistics in scientific studies, more specifically, those having to do with clinical trials for the efficacy of drugs. There are misleading statistics in just about everything that we encounter on a daily basis. For example, recently toning sneakers have come under fire for their false claim that the sneakers themselves helped with the toning of certain muscles in the body, including the calves and buttocks (Federal Trade Commission, 2011). However, although their claim came with the statistics to prove it, what they did not reveal was that the same results are achievable just by walking period. The sneakers had nothing to do with the results -- it was the act that resulted in an improvement. Another false claim and a case of misreported statistics was with the health claim that came with Activia yogurt. Dannon, which is the major company making these yogurts reported that the probiotics that they specially put into their Activia yogurt was an influx of probiotics that helped improve the digestive system (McMullen, 2010). The company used this report to gain more product value and to allow individuals to think that their yogurt would bring them some sort of health benefit, but the truth was that all of their yogurts contained the exact same ingredients -- that is, all of the yogurts that were not even part of the sub-brand Activia. So although the statistics were indeed not false, they were reported in a fashion that would help support their specific claim to a specific type of yogurt brand; they falsely represented what the statistics that they came up with represented. These are perfect examples of what has been done with statistics and how easily companies and parties take these numbers out of context in order to prove the point that they are trying to get across.