How to Read Numbers : A Guide to Statistics in the News (and Knowing When to Trust Them)

Author: Chivers, Tom, Chivers, David, QC

Mathematics & science

Published on 31 March 2022 by Orion Publishing Co (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) in the United Kingdom.

Every day, most of us will read or watch something in the news that is based on statistics in some way. Sometimes it'll be obvious - 'X people develop cancer every year' - and sometimes less obvious - 'How smartphones destroyed a generation'. Statistics are an immensely powerful tool for understanding the world, but in the wrong hands they can be dangerous.

Introducing you to the common mistakes that journalists make and the tricks they sometimes deploy, HOW TO READ NUMBERS is a vital guide that will help you understand when and how to trust the numbers in the news - and, just as importantly, when not to.