YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS : What value the so much maligned statistics, pray?

Today, October 20, is ‘World Statistics Day’ that’s observed internationally. The date was so-declared by the UN Statistical Commission, and was celebrated worldwide for the first time on October 20, 2010.

[Perhaps not to be outdone in the statistical stakes, the UK Royal Statistical Society also launched its ‘Getstats Statistical Literacy Campaign’ on the same day, October 20, 2010. But, that’s a tale fit to be pursued another day...

‘Statistics’ is defined as ‘a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, intepretation and presentation of masses of numerical data... a collection of quantitative data in the form of numerical information collected and classified systematically...’ And a Statistic is, of course, a measure of a characteristic of a sample. [Merrian-Webster New Collegiate Dictionary, 1977 Edition].

Another dictionary defines statistics as ‘classified facts representing the conditions of a people in a state – especially the facts that can be stated in numbers, or any other tabular or classified arrangement.’

For his part, a renown British Statistician, Sir Arthur Lyon Bowley, defines Statistics as ‘numerical statements of facts in any department of inquiry placed in relation to each other.’ Get it...? I don’t!

Anyway, we’re told that, generally-speaking, ‘official statistics’ (sic; what beast’s that, pray?) “help decision-makers to develop informed policies that impact millions of people. Improved data sources, sound statistical methods, new technologies and strengthened statistical systems enable better decisions that eventually result in better lives for all of us...”

Really? What an overly-optimistic summation!

In My Book of Things, Statistics – ‘official’ and othersise, for Gawd’s sake – are not much different from the concept of a glass of water containing only 50 per cent of its holding capacity. Depending upon a load of different factors – including human error(s), end-of-the-line objectives and other vested interest(s) – some people ‘see’ the glass as being half-full, while others see the very same glass as half-empty!

Get the Big Picture...? That a given set of statistics can mean one thing to some people even as the same set means something else that is quite diferrent to other people! But, more on that anon...

The first World Statistics Day was celebrated in 2010 as decided in UN Resolution 64/267 – and “was deemed an overwhelming success, with activities organized in more than 130 (UN) Member States, and by at least 40 international and regional organizations and entities!”

Another source on the Internet tells us that ‘103 countries celebrate a ‘National Statistics Day’ of sorts – pardon this callous expression. For theit part, 51 African countries jointly celebrate ‘African Statistics Day’ on November 18!

The story here today is really about the worth of Statistics in a nation’s daily life. History tells us that Statistics have never been in the Good Books of some famous statesmen/women and other leaders.

My favourite here is the pontification ‘lies, damned lies, and statistics,’ interpretted as “a phrase that was used to describe the persuasive power of numbers – particularly the use of Statistics to bolster weak arguments. It’s also sometimes colloquially used to doubt Statistics used to prove an opponent’s point...”

Historians tell us that the term was popularised in the United States by Mark Twain. But, its origin is hotly disputed, with several luminaries – including British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881). the Earl of Beaconsfield – being ‘blamed’ for it!

According to a saying credited to Lord Beaconsfield, “there’re three kinds of mendacity: lies, blank lies and statistics. This means, doubtless, that nobody with a cause to maintain ever lacked figures with which to maintain it...!”

In 1892, Sir Robert Giffen (1837–1910) – a Scottish Statistician and Economist – wrote that “there are three degrees of comparions in lying. There are lies; there are outrageous lies, and there are statistics...!”

The 64,000-dollar Question then arises: what value the so-much

maligned Statistics, pray? And: can we do without Statistics?

Oh, I don’t know... Anyway, have a Happy World Statistics Day!