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Citation Station: 47.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot...

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    • CommentAuthorkevin143
    • CommentTimeMay 6th 2006
     

    This number was clearly made up on the spot. Does anyone know of any research that cites the true percentage of fake statistics?

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      CommentAuthorTaed
    • CommentTimeMay 6th 2006 edited
     

    I saw a paper in AJS (American Journal of Statistics) a few years ago that just focused on large-city newspapers, and they estimated that it was between 40 and 55 percent, but as I recall their margin of error was something like 12 percent. They also rated the papers for their factualness, and as I recall, The New York Times was by far the most accurate, and I hope I'm remembering this correctly, but I think the Sacramento Bee was at the bottom.

    There had also been some work in this area by the excellent, but now defunct, media-watchdog magazine Brill's Content, but I don't recall any specifics.

    Unfortunately, that's the only research I recall that was based on actual data rather than just someone's guess / opinion.

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      CommentAuthorhitchhiker
    • CommentTimeMay 23rd 2006
     

    it was just a mis-typing as far as i believe - at that current time it was 43.7%, not 47.3%.

    however, statistics are continually happening and being made up, so the actual percentage will vary massively over any given period of time

    • CommentAuthorcoulsono
    • CommentTimeMay 24th 2006
     

    But you must take into consideration that half of the people on Earth make up 50% of the population...and that research causes cancer in rats.

  5.  

    7 out of 5 people have trouble with fractions
    Ciggarettes are the #1 cause of statistics

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