Graphic that reads, "Be on the lookout for times when small percentages are used as evidence to support dramatic claims."

Stats Tip: When 10% believe one thing, it means 90% don’t

One of the key things librarians and other educators can do to help students with statistical literacy is to recognize when small statistics are being used to support a larger claim.

For example, consider this CNN summary of a survey of civic education:

Nearly 10% of college graduates surveyed in a poll believe Judith Sheindlin, aka “Judge Judy,” serves on the Supreme Court.

Sheindlin is an American lawyer made popular as the judge on a court show by the name of “Judge Judy” … [she] does not serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.The poll, conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in August 2015 but released in January 2016, concluded from the 1,000 surveyed that college graduates “are alarmingly ignorant of America’s history and heritage.”

As A.V. Club later pointed out,

Here’s the thing about statistics like this, though: … people know that they can be used to prove anything. In other words, it’s easy to manipulate information to back up your argument, no matter what the information actually says. So yeah, 10 percent of college graduates think Judge Judy is a Supreme Court Justice, but that also means 90 percent of college graduates don’t. The latter is just as accurate, but it’s not as snappy and it doesn’t let older people—who can all name each of the Supreme Court Justices, apparently—feel superior to young people.

Takeaway for our practice: small percentages should not be used as supports for dramatic claims.

Kristin

Image created at picmonkey.com.

 

 

About Kristin Fontichiaro

Kristin Fontichiaro is the principal investigator of this IMLS-funded project and a clinical associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Information.