Datasets for Statistical Analysis: Newspaper articles

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Reported statistics

This page lists instances of statistics reported in newspapers, journals, etc. that are of interest. Due to probable copyright restrictions, I cannot place images of these articles here as I would like. Instead, the essense of the article is provided and a reference.

The entries on this page have been classified as follows:

• Good surveys
• Bad surveys
• Other surveys
• Good experiments
• Bad experiments
• Other reports
• Graphics
• Other reports

Good surveys

• Strip searched, but no charges laid
  The number of people strip-searched, and the number of those released without charges laid.
• Australians working overtime
  An ABS survey on number of days worked per week, the proportion working overtime (paid and unpaid), and percentage of people who have a say in their working hours
• The impact of a new sports stadium
• Legalisation of marijuana

Bad surveys

• Some people always have opinions!
  Some people lie on surveys
• A bad internet survey
  An example of a really bad poll!
• How do people really feel about helping the poor?
  How wording can affect answers
• Nazi extermination of the Jews
  The effect of badly worded questions

Other surveys

• Church attendees
  Church attendees are given the survey treatment
• Comparing a bad and good survey
  Shows just how bad a bad survey can be

Good experiments

• Effectiveness of acupuncture
  A reasonably well-reported experiment on acupuncture (though there are definite short-comings!)
• Fish oil and heart attacks
  A well-reported medical study.
• Nitric oxide and infants
  A well-reported study by NJEM (most are very well reported in NJEM, of course).

Bad experiments

• Home births safer than hospital births
  An observational study reported as a cause-and-effect.
• Breast milk better for adult intelligence
  An observational study reported as a cause-and-effect.

Other experiments

• Watch this space

Graphics

• Type more productively!
  The least convincing bar chart I have ever seen
• Australians working overtime
  An ABS survey on number of days worked per week, the proportion working overtime (paid and unpaid), and percentage of people who have a say in their working hours

Other reports

• Brisbane Lions AFL club
  The weights of the eleven Brisbane Bears (an Australian Rules Football club)) players who played in the 1995 finals series and also the 2002 premiership flag team. An example of matched pairs data.
• Brisbane Lions crowds
  The number of members and average crowds sizes for the Brisbane Lions (formerly Brisbane Bears) Australian Rules Football club from 1987 (Brisbane's first year in the competition) to 2003 (but not till season's end).
• Twice as cold?
  A bizarre interpretation of the temperature by the BBC
• Capricorns are bad drivers
  A newspaper report claiming Capricorns are Australia's worst drivers
• Baby births in one 24-hour period from Brisbane Mater Hospital (Baby boom data)
  The reported time of birth, gender and weight of 44 babies.