For those of you who like to follow bad presentations of statistical data in the news, here's a real doosie. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090107/ap_on_he_me/med_teen_births
Note that in the graph that it says these numbers are "per 1,000 births" but then next to the top bar, it says "68.4%" (rather than 68.4 per 1000). So, actually only 6.84% of births in Mississippi are to teen mothers. I checked the source -- a CDCP report -- and it does not make the % mistake. The graph seems to have been compiled by AP. What may be worse, the base used (per 1000 live births) will confuse many, who will assume that 68.4% of (presumably female) *teens* are geting pregnant in MS. Best regards, Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [email protected] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ ========================== --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
