More or Less: Behind the Stats
BBC Radio 4
Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From BBC Radio 4
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Top 10 More or Less: Behind the Stats Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best More or Less: Behind the Stats episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to More or Less: Behind the Stats for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite More or Less: Behind the Stats episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Can China’s GDP data be trusted?
More or Less: Behind the Stats
10/29/22 • 8 min
This week, China released its third quarter GDP figure. At 3.9%, its rate of economic growth is better than many analysts expected, but still significantly short of the 5.5% target the Chinese government had set itself.
There was an unprecedented delay in releasing this particular GDP stat - and that delay coincided with the 20th Chinese Communist Party congress. President Xi Jinping was reappointed for a historic third term at the twice-a-decade gathering.
Some analysts found the delay suspicious. Did President Xi postpone the release of the GDP figures so it wouldn’t tarnish the congress? And can the figure of 3.9 per cent be trusted anyway?
Paul Connolly investigates with the help of John Burn Murdoch, Chief Data Reporter at The Financial Times; Associate Professor of Government at Cornell, Jeremy Lee Wallace and Dr Linda Yueh, Oxford University economist and author.
Presenter and Producer: Paul Connolly Editor: Simon Watts Programme Coordinator: Jacqui Johnson Sound Engineer: Neva Missirian
(Image: Chinese President Xi Jinping: Mark R Cristino/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
3 Listeners
Covid climb, childcare costs and why can’t the French count properly?
More or Less: Behind the Stats
06/29/22 • 29 min
Covid cases are rising once again – how accurately are official figures picking up the new wave and how worried we should be? We discuss inflationary spirals and how much wage and pension increases contribute to inflation. Also how many parents actually struggle with childcare costs? Can long waits at A&E be put down to the pandemic and why the French count differently to the British.
2 Listeners
1 Comment
1
Simpson’s Paradox: How to make vaccinated death figures misleading
More or Less: Behind the Stats
11/28/21 • 8 min
Vaccines are the best way to stop deaths and serious cases related to covid19, this is an irrefutable fact. However, recent ONS data seems to show that vaccinated people had a higher all cause death rate than unvaccinated people. Why is this data misleading? Here’s a clue: it’s to do with a quirky statistical phenomenon called Simpsons Paradox.
(Image: The Simpsons / TCFFC )
2 Listeners
Federer’s 54%: Tennis stats explained
More or Less: Behind the Stats
07/13/24 • 8 min
How can tennis star Roger Federer have won only 54% of the points he played, but been the best player in the world? Jeff Sackmann, the tennis stats brain behind tennisabstract.com, explains to Tim Harford how probability works in the sport.
Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Debbie Richford Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Nigel Appleton Editor: Richard Vadon
2 Listeners
1 Comment
1
Does the World Athletics Championships have a false start problem?
More or Less: Behind the Stats
07/23/22 • 10 min
US athlete Devon Allen has made global headlines this week after being disqualified from the 110m hurdles final at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon. He was judged to have left the starting blocks a thousandth of a second too early. On More or Less we crunch the numbers behind false starts in athletics, asking how quick is too quick when it comes to reacting to a starting gun and whether something else might have gone wrong with the measurement system.
2 Listeners
Does endurance sport harm your heart?
More or Less: Behind the Stats
12/09/23 • 8 min
Exercise is good for you in all kinds of ways, there is no medicine like it to prevent a whole range of illnesses. But for some endurance athletes, exercise also comes with increased risk of a heart condition called atrial fibrillation.
We look for the right way to think about the risks around exercise.
Reporter: Paul Connolly Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot Editor: Richard Vadon
(Picture: A cyclist training in the mountains Credit: anton5146/Getty Creative)
1 Listener
Improving the numbers in the news
More or Less: Behind the Stats
11/12/22 • 8 min
How can journalists improve their use of statistics in their reporting of the world around us? It’s a question US academics John Bailer and Rosemary Pennington tackle in their new book Statistics Behind the Headlines. They join Tim Harford to talk about how journalism can be improved by asking the right questions about numbers and using them in the wider context of a story. Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Jon Bithrey Editor: Simon Watts Production Coordinator: Jacqui Johnson Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot
(Image: Electronic and paper media: scanrail/Getty)
1 Listener
Can chocolate be better than salad?
More or Less: Behind the Stats
12/23/23 • 8 min
We investigate a nutritional conundrum –can chocolate ever be better for you than salad? Today we dive in to one of our listener’s family debates and try to find an answer, with the help of nutrition experts Dr David Katz and Professor Bernadette Moore.
Reporter: Paul Connolly Researcher: Perisha Kudhail Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon
(Picture: A pyramid made of chocolate and salad Credit: Gandee Vasan / Getty Images)
1 Listener
Data, extreme weather and climate change
More or Less: Behind the Stats
07/29/23 • 8 min
Recent global headlines have been dominated by record temperatures across Europe, North America and parts of Asia. As extreme weather events have happened for decades, how are links to climate change made? In this programme we look at how scientists use data to draw climate conclusions and hear how that data isn’t always available, with a focus on severe flooding earlier this year in part of Central Africa. With Joyce Kimutai, principal meteorologist and climate scientist at the Kenya Meteorological Department and researcher at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College.
Presenter: Kate Lamble Producer: Nathan Gower, Jon Bithrey Editor: Simon Watts Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot
1 Listener
Do Indian women own 11% of the world’s gold?
More or Less: Behind the Stats
11/04/23 • 8 min
The cultural importance of gold in India as a symbol of wealth, prosperity and safety is well known – but how much do Indians actually own? Reporter Perisha Kudhail looks at a widely circulated claim about Indian women owning 11% of the world’s gold, with the help of Delhi based journalist Mridu Bhandari and Joshua Saul, CEO of the Pure Gold Company. Presenter: Ben Carter Reporter and Producer: Perisha Kudhail Series Producer: Jon Bithrey Editor: Richard Vadon Sound Engineer: James Beard
(Image: A saleswoman shows gold bangles to a customer at a jewellery showroom in Kolkata. Credit: Reuters/Rupak De Chowdhuri/File Photo)
1 Listener
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FAQ
How many episodes does More or Less: Behind the Stats have?
More or Less: Behind the Stats currently has 987 episodes available.
What topics does More or Less: Behind the Stats cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts and Business.
What is the most popular episode on More or Less: Behind the Stats?
The episode title 'Can China’s GDP data be trusted?' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on More or Less: Behind the Stats?
The average episode length on More or Less: Behind the Stats is 15 minutes.
How often are episodes of More or Less: Behind the Stats released?
Episodes of More or Less: Behind the Stats are typically released every 4 days, 9 hours.
When was the first episode of More or Less: Behind the Stats?
The first episode of More or Less: Behind the Stats was released on Sep 3, 2010.
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