18 PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION OF DATA

18.1 Data often need to be displayed pictorially since extended figures can be
difficult to digest and interpret. In order to make them more digestible, to bring out
comparisons as well as trends ~ even for the expert - a suitable form of display has to
be chosen. For the mass media, and the public, it is necessary to select a presentation
with the greatest impact.

The forms which are now described have both advantages as well as disadvantages,
which will emerge as the basic principles behind each come under discussion.

18.2 Bar Charts

These consist of bars (for horizontal display) or columns (for vertical display) of the
same width but of length proportional to the values they represent; it follows that the
values and the areas will also be in proportion - this relationship between value
represented and area is the fundamental one throughout.

The Simple Bar Chart consists of one set of bars all dealing with a common element
of information~ in Fig. I SA it is the year I 960, for the horizontal bars but the Irish
RepubliC for the columns. The data for these come from the first column and first
row of the following table which provides the material for the subsequent types of bar
chart to be described.
Balance of Payments, U.K. (£millions)
Credits from Travel, analysed by area
Year 1960 1965 1970
Sterling areas
Irish Republic 13 23 34
Other sterling 46 40 72
Non-sterling areas
Western Europe 37 55 137
North America 58 61 !50
Other non-sterling 15 14 40
Yearly totals 169 193 433

The Multiple Bar Chart is a combination of two or more simple bar charts which
will have an equivalent number of themes for comparison. Fig. 18B uses the section of
the table dealing with the non-sterling areas and enables comparisons to be made
between the three areas as well as between the three years. A colour or shading code
now becomes necessary and a suitable key must be provided.

Notice that when some of the bars are much longer than the others a horizontal
format is better. It is usually less wasteful of space and it is easier for the eye to take in.

The Component Bar Chart is used when comparabl.e items can be summed to
provide a total. Fig. 18C lists all the credits for 1960 and for 1965, the complete
columns representing the totals with each column sepa.rated into its components
(with a key of course!). In this type it is possible to compare (a) totals,
(b) components within a total, and (c) components of one column with their parallels
in another.

118
A. H. Hall, An Introduction to Statistics
© Marjorie H. Hall 1978
 D Irish
Republic

All sources. 1960 Irish Republic

£millions
E3 Other
sterling

~Western
Europe

~North
America

[[[]Other
non-
sterling

0 2 3 4 5 6 1960 1965 1970

£millions
Figure 18A. Simple Bar Charts: U.K. Travel Credits

1960

1965

1970

£millions

Figure 18B. Multiple Bar Charts: U.K. Travel Credits,

Non-Sterling Areas

100

80

E 60
...."'
u
"'c
0
"'
a.. 40
E

1960 1965 1960 1970

Figure 18C. Component Bar Chart Figure 18D. Percentage Component
Bar Chart

119