Read the number behind the number

Civics & Economics · Government · ages 16-18

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What sits behind every persuasive number?
- The starting point and the stretch of time it covers
- The font size on the protest sign
- The number of cameras nearby
The 2008 protester put real statistics on the sign instead of opinions. Why?
- Opinions alone
- Long speeches
- Looked-up statistics
A claim can be technically true yet lead you to the wrong conclusion.
Circle one: True False
A poll interviewed whoever walked past one shopping centre. What is this?
- A convenience sample that may badly misrepresent the country
- A careful sample that stands in for millions
- A count of every eligible voter
A government brags about jobs while staying quiet on prices. What do you do?
- Ask for a bigger sign with more digits
- Ask what the other scoreboards say and over what period
- Ask which party printed the sign
An election poll should measure which group?
- Everyone allowed to vote
- Everyone who answered online
- The smaller group who actually will vote
A campaign says unemployment is falling. What is your check?
- Trust the summary and share it fast
- Find the original agency release and check the definition used
- Average the two campaigns' numbers
How can one budget be reported as a cut and as an increase at once?
- As a cut against last year's peak and as a rise against an old low
- As a cut only if money was burned
- As a rise only if taxes were raised

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The starting point and the stretch of time it covers · Someone picked the statistic, the baseline, and the window, and each choice can flatter one side.
Looked-up statistics · Numbers persuade because they act as evidence, which is why campaigns reach for them.
True · Friendly choices of baseline and window can make a true figure point the wrong way.
A convenience sample that may badly misrepresent the country · Whoever was easy to reach is cheap but skewed, and no headcount fixes a bad sample.
Ask what the other scoreboards say and over what period · Jobs can shine while prices burn, so one scoreboard never settles how the economy does.
The smaller group who actually will vote · Polling the wrong group, like all eligible voters instead of likely ones, predicts wrongly.
Find the original agency release and check the definition used · Official figures are public, but definitions like unemployment can be swapped for friendlier ones.
As a cut against last year's peak and as a rise against an old low · The baseline decides the label, so demand the starting point before accepting either story.