Don’t Summarize Away Everything
Tuesday, April 11th, 2006 | Nick Bugajski
When presenting results of analysis, it is very important to make sure statistics are presented along with their constraints. Leaving details out may make for an easier read, but it could very well leave the reader misinformed. Such questionable presentation of statistical information might lead a critical reader might become prejudiced against the writer. An article about legislation to close a road in Golden Gate Park a second day each week provides an example:
The academy sees 10 percent fewer visits on Sundays than it does on Saturdays, the closed roads making the difference, Kilduff said.
Now it could be that the difference in attendance at the museum is indeed made up by the road closure. Complex problems like museum attendance usually have more than one variable, making it hard to believe, for those with some scientific background, that the number presented is accurate. Those readers unable to pick up on the simplification of a complex problem might now be under the impression that attendance at the museum on Sunday will go up at least 10% if the road is opened back up on that day.
If we assume that the statement is correct and a result of an unbiased study, only poorly stated, all that need be done to clarify it is a slight rewording:
The academy has attributed a 10 percent drop in attendance on Sundays in comparison to Saturdays to the road closures alone.
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