Transcript Document

David Walker
Statistical reporting
All
Conservative
Labour
Agree
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
%
%
%
%
%
%
I generally feel confident when
dealing with numbers
77
7
76
6
72
11
Politicians use official
statistics and figures
accurately when talking about
their policies
28
40
17
38
30
47
Newspapers and television
channels report statistics
accurately
15
57
13
66
18
53
Q. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the statements?
Base: All MPs (97), Conservative MPs (41) and
Labour MPs (44) asked, Winter 2011
• • The Smith Inquiry on Post-14 Mathematics (2004)
• • A Higher Degree of Concern, Study by The Royal Society (2008)
• • Review of Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects HEFCE
(2005)
• • Is the UK an outlier? Hodgen et al (2010)
• • Scoping Study to Identify Quantitative Methods Capacity Building
Needs in Wales - Final Report Lynch et al (2007)
• • Scoping Study to Identify Quantitative Methods Capacity Building
Needs in Scotland – Final Report McVie et al (2008)
• • Adding It Up: a Performance and Innovation Unit Report (2000)
• • Demographic Review of the UK Social Sciences Mills et al (2006)
• • International Benchmarking Review of UK Sociology ESRC (2010)
MPs’ ability to calculate probabilities
Probability of getting two heads
% All MPs
15%
2
25%
40
Incorrect
answer / 47%
DK
Correct
53% answer
40% 1
50%
45
23%
75% 1
Other
Don't know
Correct
answer
5
7
Incorrect 77%
answer / DK
Q. If you spin a coin twice, what is the probability of getting two heads?
Base: All MPs (97), Conservative MPs (41) and
Labour MPs (44) asked, Winter 2011
Example successes
wheredoesmymoneygo.org
Home Office Crime Mapping