Gayeta, Robert Kyle P.

PSY101

MMW: Weeks 11-12 Uses and Abuses

What are the uses and abuses of statistics in the real world? Give specific
examples and provide pieces of evidence.

Statistics is a branch of mathematics that deals with the collection, analysis,

interpretation, and presentation of masses of a given data. It is a way to further
analyze a given set of data through processes that statistics can provide.

Statistics has a variety of uses:

 Statistics is applicable to a wide variety of academic disciplines, including
natural and social sciences, government, and business.
 Statisticians improve data quality by developing specific experimental
designs and survey samples.
 Statistics are also important in the field of medicine since it is used to gather
the needed data to further analyze a patient.
 Banks also makes use of statistics to improve their operation, through
analysis, they can know the activity in our financial market so they would be
able to predict the impact of economic crisis.

Statistics can also be used to abuse:

 Statistics can be used to mislead a person into believing into a false set of
data.
 Statistics can be used in misleading advertisements. For example, in 2007,
Colgate claimed that 80% of dentists recommended Colgate over other
brands, which later be deemed to be false.
 In politics, statistics are often used to gather data which is needed for
campaigns. This can open into the abuse of statistics since there have been
cases of wrong information gathering that is used to capture the attention of
masses.
 Statistics can also be manipulated. By providing false set of data, a person or
a group of people can easily manipulate the outcome of something, which
can be used to deceive people.
 Since statistics are commonly used in the medical field, it can also be open
for manipulation. It is used to input false data that related to medication.
Conclusion:
Just like all things, statistics has advantages and disadvantages. But everyone of
us benefits from the advantages of statistics the most. Statistics makes our lives
easier. From simple analysis of a set of data, to even interpreting a large group
of data, statistics will always be used. Today, we live in the world of
mathematics where information is important. Through statistics, we can
interpret the right data and information that will help us in the future.

“There are three types of lies -- lies, damn lies, and statistics.”
― Benjamin Disraeli
References:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-statistics/chapter/overview/
https://medium.com/@john_marsh7/statistics-role-in-real-life-a6ba727e0ad8
https://onlinedegrees.mtu.edu/news/every-number-counts-importance-applied-
statistics-our-daily-lives-infographic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_statistics
https://midimagic.sgc-hosting.com/statabus.htm
https://explorable.com/ethics-in-statistics