Statistics vs Anecdotes

Discussions center on the tension between statistical evidence and personal anecdotes, including critiques of statistical misuse, misunderstandings, and phrases like 'lies, damn lies, and statistics.'

📉 Falling 0.4x Science
5,597
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#2493
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
13
2008
63
2009
128
2010
160
2011
159
2012
184
2013
283
2014
240
2015
247
2016
358
2017
320
2018
347
2019
382
2020
392
2021
470
2022
478
2023
498
2024
444
2025
416
2026
15

Keywords

VP HN wiktionary.org FWIW MBA DAU en.m MAU wikipedia.org statistics lies statistical enlighten counties lie likely graphs provided data

Sample Comments

rosser Sep 26, 2014 View on HN

Statistics often don't conform to one's anecdotal expectations.

caffeine Jun 24, 2009 View on HN

The statistics is completely wrong - and the conclusion is (probably) completely right...

RhodesianHunter Jun 29, 2023 View on HN

Statistics matter, anecdotes do not.

rezonant Feb 7, 2023 View on HN

Welp, statistics say otherwise :-)

cjensen May 14, 2019 View on HN

That's not how statistics work. Perhaps you were making a joke?

bryanrasmussen Aug 4, 2019 View on HN

statistics? People who should know have told me otherwise

travoltaj Jan 11, 2023 View on HN

The good old "Statistics don't apply to an individual"

jopsen Sep 30, 2017 View on HN

statistics doesn't always apply on a personal level, it's statistics :)

thereddaikon Aug 31, 2023 View on HN

Give me some authoritative statistics that show otherwise.

hn_throwaway_99 Mar 10, 2019 View on HN

That analogy is bad statistics, and I think we should call out those bad statistics, especially on HN.