Bad Data: How Governments, Politicians and the Rest of Us Get Misled by Numbers

BAD DATA is a book about how governments have been led astray by figures littered with inconsistency, guesswork, and uncertainty. It reveals secrets from the usually closed-off world of policy-making and suggests how we can make more informed choices about who to trust.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 03 November 2022
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the power and limitations of data in our modern world, BAD DATA is a thought-provoking and urgently needed book by Tim Harford. An entertaining introduction to the uses (and misuses) of data, it provides a penetrating analysis of why statistical literacy matters to our politics and our daily lives.

In BAD DATA, House of Commons Library statistician Georgina Sturge takes readers on a journey to uncover the truth behind the numbers that shape our world. She reveals how governments of the past and present have been led astray by figures littered with inconsistency, guesswork, and uncertainty. From the troubling to the empowering to the downright absurd, BAD DATA uncovers secrets from the usually closed-off world of policy-making.

Sturge begins by examining the use of data in politics, where misleading statistics and fake news have become a major threat to democracy. She shows how politicians can use data to support their agendas, even when it is inaccurate or misleading, and how this can have serious consequences for society. She also highlights the importance of statistical literacy in helping citizens to discern between reliable and unreliable sources of information.

In the second part of the book, Sturge explores the use of data in business and economics. She shows how companies can use data to optimize their operations, but also how they can be misled by misleading statistics and bad data analysis. She also discusses the impact of data on inequality and social justice, highlighting how data can be used to perpetuate existing biases and discrimination.

Sturge's book is filled with compelling stories that illustrate the power and limitations of data. She shows how a Hungarian businessman's bright idea caused half a million people to go missing from UK migration statistics, how it is possible for two politicians to disagree over whether poverty has gone up or down, using the same official numbers, and for both to be right at the same time, and how policies like ID cards, super-casinos, and stopping ex-convicts from reoffending failed to live up to their promise because they were based on shaky data.

Through these stories, Sturge suggests how we can make more informed choices about who to trust and when. She argues that we need to be more skeptical of the data that we encounter, to be more aware of the biases and assumptions that underpin data analysis, and to be more willing to challenge the conclusions that we are drawn to. She also suggests that we need to invest in statistical literacy education, so that more people can understand the importance of data and how to use it effectively.

BAD DATA is a thought-provoking and urgently needed book that will appeal to anyone interested in understanding the power and limitations of data in our modern world. It provides a valuable insight into the ways in which data can be used to shape our world, both for good and for bad. By understanding the human story behind the numbers, we can make more informed choices about who to trust and when, and work towards a more data-driven and evidence-based society.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 162 x 243 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780349128610