DISTRUST OF STATISTICS
Distrust of statistics means lack of confidence in the statistical methods and statements. As statistics suffers from various limitations, that is the reason statistics become a thing of distrust.
ACCORDING TO YULE AND KENDALL
“Statistical methods are most dangerous tools in the hands of an inexpert.”
The following are the points that give rise to the distrust of statistics:
FIGURES MAY BE INCOMPLETE, INACCURATE AND DELIBERATELY MANIPULATED
The facts and figures to be studied under the statistics are collected by the human beings. This is their bent of mind that which kind of data they collect. If the data is faulty, then statistical findings may not be reliable.
ACCORDING TO PROF. KING
“One of the shortcomings of statistics is that they do not always bear on their face, the label of quality.”
So it is not the statistics which proves itself unreliable, it is the mishandling of the statistical affairs by the investigator.
STATISTICS CAN PROVE WHATEVER IT WANTS
Statistics can prove whatever it wants is a baseless notion. Statistics do not explain the relationships between the items rather this depends upon the investigator which kind of comparison he is going to do.
ACCORDING TO PROF. KING
“Statistics are like clay out of which you can make God or Devil as you please.”
If the investigator studies the relationship between height of giraffe and height of human being, then the result will be useless or baseless. If investigator studies the relationship between demand and price of a commodity, the result will be fruitful.
So it is not the science of statistics which is faulty, it is the interpretation and study topic of the investigator which give wrong conclusions.
STATISTICS ARE THE TISSUES OF FALSE HOOD
Some of the statements regarding the statistics made by various statistician are:
- There are three degrees of lies- lies, damn lies and statistics.
- There are black lies, white lies, multi-chromatic lies, statistics is a rainbow of lies.
- History asserts without evidence while statistics asserts contrary to the evidence.
- Statistics are like a bathing costume which reveals all that is interesting and conceals all that is vital.
These statements point towards the fact that statistics are tissues of false hood. But this notion is wrong, it is only the inexperience of the researchers who gives false conclusions which comes in front as distrust of statistics.
CONCLUSION
Distrust of statistics has arisen only because of the inefficiency of the researchers to apply the statistical techniques and tools in right way. According to AM MOOD, “It is the statistics which provides tools and techniques for research workers.” Thus, despite of its serious limitations and arguments against it, the usefulness or relevance of statistics can never be ignored. It is the ‘Science of Kings’ in real sense.
| Also Study: | Also Study: | Also Study: | Also Study: | Also Study: |
| Measures of central tendency | Arithmetic Mean | Median | Mode | Statistics |
| Functions of statistics | Scope of statistics | Limitations of Statistics | Distrust of statistics |
