Lies, Damn Lies, & Statistics

So I fell in love with data and charts back as an undergrad when I took my Political Science methodology class (thank you Professor Folger).  It is then that I learned how they can be used to help explain what happens in the world around us.  However, I also learned how they can be manipulated in such a way to create a false explanation or mislead someone.  That is why the quote in the title has to be one of my favorite sayings of all time.  So much so, that my friends and co-workers roll their eyes every time I say it.


Most of the time the manipulations of data are subtle and those manipulating the data can justify how they are presenting their results.  However, sometimes the manipulation is so outlandish you wonder if it was done purposefully or out of incompetence.  For instance, for those of you who follow data visualization topics or media watchdog groups, you have probably already heard about the Fox News unemployment chart.  I first read about it at FlowingData who links to MediaMatters about this story.  You should definitely check out the comments section for the article at FlowingData for a lively discussion of politics, Fox News, and data.


Here is the Fox News chart for those who missed the story...

Can you spot what is wrong with this chart?  

Precinct Results for Anne Arundel County Executive Race

I am involved in local politics in the Annapolis area and in 2010 I was a volunteer for a County Executive candidate.  He lost.  But it was a fun campaign nonetheless.

I was able to put together the results by precinct and throw it together in Tableau.  The results are what we would expect from taking a look at just the data itself.  However, I found it interesting that there were a few precincts with very low turnout but major support for a candidate.  I think both the Republican and Democratic candidate each had a precinct like that.  Take a look below and let me know what you think about the results.