How can you use statistics to lie?

Answer by  knowitall39 (475)

Just find a statistic about whatever you are trying to lie about and use it to your advantage. You cannot really use statistics to lie necessarily, but you can use them to support whatever you may be trying to say. It will take some research on your part. Or you could make up statistics I guess.

Answer by  trigonometry (668)

One way is to apply statistics on a non representative sample. Say, you ask only teenagers what they think about legalizing drugs and publish the results saying, that x percent of the population support this issue. Such a bias can come also unwanted, e.g. statistically famous orchestra directors life very long -- because the sample population is already old.

Answer by  JackFrost (73)

You can create a set of false statistics and then use those to back up your position in an argument, paper, or debate class. You can also use them to sell products by falsely implying some great benefit that doesn't really exist but that your customer don't know is the truth.