Harry Enten (@forecasterenten on Twitter) is one of the most-high-profile data journalists in the world. He explains the numbers every day on CNN – whether it’s election polling, sports or even his original passion: meterology, specifically snowstorms. “I definitely see myself as a storyteller,” says Enten and he chats with […] Read more »
Measuring the world can render us helpless — or show us how to help
… All of us have our own versions of the quantified other. Perhaps you construct yours when you read public opinion polls about an issue you care about, attempting to anticipate the nation’s inclinations. Or maybe you find it in the study of unemployment numbers, which you track even though […] Read more »
The Rich Are Not Who We Think They Are. And Happiness Is Not What We Think It Is, Either.
… My data-driven advice for getting rich for someone with good analytical skills and deep experience in a field is to start a market research business. Use your specialized knowledge in the field to write up reports; sell them widely and charge a fortune to your contacts in the field. […] Read more »
Failure and success in political polling and election forecasting
… The recent successes and failures of pre-election polling invite several questions: Why did the polls get it wrong in some high-profile races? Conversely, how is it that the polls sometimes do so well? Should we be concerned about political biases of pollsters who themselves are part of the educated […] Read more »
The Science of Visual Data Communication: What Works
Effectively designed data visualizations allow viewers to use their powerful visual systems to understand patterns in data across science, education, health, and public policy. But ineffectively designed visualizations can cause confusion, misunderstanding, or even distrust—especially among viewers with low graphical literacy. We review research-backed guidelines for creating effective and intuitive […] Read more »
Are Vaccine Polls Flawed?
Two widely followed surveys “significantly overestimated” how many American adults got their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine last spring, says an article in the scientific journal Nature that was published online on Wednesday. The surveys have large numbers of participants but nevertheless aren’t representative of the U.S. adult population, […] Read more »