Penguin Books How to Lie with Statistics Darrell Huff

129 Pages·2010·4.79 MB·English

WITH
Ce STASIS
ic
Penguin Iooks
How to Lie with Statistics

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64 974
With
pictures by
Mel Cahman
How to
Lie with
Statistics

Darrell Huff

6

Penguin Books

To my wite
with good reason,
‘Taee ate three bans of Hes. Hes dorm es, and saa,
= Dinelt,

Statistica thinking wil eve day be a necesary freien
‘tveathip athe sli o read and ete

Sine, Wott

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table ete dng we knwo al ave,

Sarees Ward

mand nambere ar alta Il

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nave naent bins [atti my west pe, but fee
tesco my dteray ncepacty to make tes intelligible
‘without sneriGeing accuracy st orongnest

we france Gatton
Contents

Avkromledgemene
Ineeduction 9

The Sample wth the ulln os 3
‘The Wel-Chonen averse 9

The Linke igure Thot Ave Not There 37
Mack Ado about Procially Noting 52
The Geowhir Grand 78

he Onetimasonal cue 6

lhe Semiatiacted Figare 7

Pont Toe Rides Agsia 8

Dow @ stadstulie yp

Bw toTalk Back io Site 210
Acknowledgements

‘Tae prety Ite instansof bumnbing snd
icsaty ith wri thx books peppered have
Seen gtheret yey and not witout assistance.
Followag an apjeal ol mine rough tie American
Saretieal Assovatio,¢ numberof profeslouel
ats who, belowe me deole We mise
lscaticineas ay ag anyone ave cent me
‘rs from their ona ealeedoas, These people.
Tu le fea glad 30 seman nameless
hve. found tla specimens names

st nks ton, ponies: Business Sate,
by Martin 4. Brunslough apd Lester, Kellogss
Gouging Pubic Opinion y Malley Cant
Stones Prenrtatinn iy Wied Cape Blas
Proce! Rosine: Sti by Veeder
{Crowton art Dudley -Caweens Bus Stats,
{yy George Simpron and Frit Kak sd
Elementary Seti eo hy len
Walker,
ae Be ¢ ,)
inl BB. Syy
Introduction

Wich prospects of an end to the hallowed old Briish
sueasates of inches and fect and pounds, the Gallup poll
people wandered how well Known its metric altentatie
Thigh: be, Yhey asked fa the usual way, and leerned that
even aenung men and stomen who had beon toa universe
‘55 per cent had ever hea ofthe meni system,

"Then @ Sunday newspaper conducted a poll of iS own —
and announced that gS per cent of rg Yeavers new batt
the metric system, Ut, the ewspaper bussed, showed
“how much more knowledgesble" is readers were than
people generally

How can twa poll difer se vemnarbiyt

Gallup interviewers had Chasen, and Talk? to, 2 caretully
selocted cratsseccion of che publi. The newspaper had
aaively, and economically, relied upon coupons elipped.
filled in, and mailed in by readers