Once upon a time, during a staff meeting, I witnessed a common behavior – the desire to track numbers without considering their accuracy. In my previous role, where customer satisfaction was important, we often received very few surveys back, making it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions. When we received only two surveys one month, I didn’t take the slight drop in satisfaction scores seriously, but my manager did. Ironically, they made a remark about our lack of statistical knowledge while everyone in the room knew I was teaching research methods.
This pursuit of numbers, regardless of their relevance, is a widespread problem. In my experience working in economic development, I learned about the "shoot anything that flies, claim anything that falls" approach when gathering data is difficult. This, coupled with people intentionally misusing statistics, leads to misleading news articles.
Take, for instance, GoBankingRates’ article on "The Most Loved Company In Every State." The article used flawed reasoning, suggesting that high profits and sales revenue, along with happy employees, indicate a positive relationship with customers. However, this argument falls apart when examined closely:
- Larger companies often dominate their industries due to economic pressures, limiting consumer choices.
- How a company treats its employees does not necessarily reflect its treatment of customers. Amazon, for example, is known for its poor treatment of workers.
- Glassdoor ratings are subject to selection bias, as certain groups of employees are more likely to leave reviews compared to others.
This article would have failed in my research methods class due to its flawed methodology.
Another example involves Senator Bill Cassidy, who voiced concerns about the percentage of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees working remotely. Cassidy argued that the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration should result in fewer remote workers. However, he failed to recognize that productivity should be measured by completed tasks, not physical presence. Comparing different sectors, like direct patient care and office work, is like comparing apples and chairs.
These cases highlight the need for critical analysis of statistics and research. Unfortunately, this level of scrutiny is often lacking in journalism, unless it comes from comedians. We must remain cautious and informed when encountering statistical claims and always strive for accuracy and understanding.
Stay safe and be wary of misleading statistics.
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