Averages

[renniek]

Conversations at the weekend reminded me yet again of how poorly most news reporting uses averages. The common mistake is always reporting the mean as the "average", when often the mean isn't a good representation of the underlying data. So the "average" wage that's normally reported and the "average" amount spent on a wedding are both dramatically

Comments

[stsquad]

I suspect the mean cost of a wedding trends closer to the median than mean wage does. As far as I can tell the most important factor is the number of people you have coming and controlling that is more likely to help your budgeting than the food you choose.

No doubt I shall be further enlightened by the end of the day.

[angelchrome]

I think it's 'cause innumeracy is no big deal to such a bafflingly large section of the population. So many people who would be embarassed to admit they can't read will quite happily admit they're "no good at numbers" like it's a cute thing.

[oldnick]

The one that annoyed me on the radio this morning - repeated on the BBC news website is this...

"The figures reveal many British pensioners are living on incomes far below the national average."

I would be somewhat surprised if it were not so.

[lamuella]

in other shocking news, nearly fifty percent of schoolchildren receive below average test results!

[richc]

The use of the mean as the 'average' is only valid on distributions of data that are symmetrically distributed around the average. To use it with things like prices, which have a hard minimum is not just a poor representation of the data, it is meaningless.

[marcushill]

Don't get me started on this. I'd suggest a cynical tax on the mathematically inadequate if the lottery didn't already exist.