The getstats is a 10-year campaign mounted by the Royal Statistical Society with the support of the Nuffield Foundation to improve how we handle numbers – the practical numbers of daily life, business and policy. Statistics are tools that turn data into useful information. They give numbers meaning and help to decode complexity.
What others are saying…
Why the RSS-getstsats campaign? Why now? Watch these brief video interviews with campaign advisory board members and a colleague who helped to launched the new RSS Sports Section and we are confident that you will want to engage with and support the campaign too.
John Pullinger, DG, Information Services, House of Commons explains the rationale for the RSS-getstats campaign and why we all need to get behind it.
Mark Easton, BBC News Home Editor calls on us to grasp the moment and shares why it is so vital we all make our relationship with numbers, data and statistics a positive one.
John Macinnes, University of Edinburgh outlines why quantitative skills are necessary in education and how a few statistical skills can go a long way in all areas of all our lives
John Goddard, University of Bangor explains the role of Statistics in the interplay between the predictable and the unpredictable (not least in sport).
Why the campaign is important (and why not understanding statistics is no laughing matter….)
Professor Hans Rosling, Co-founder and Chairman of the Gapminder Foundation (and Presenter of ‘The Joy of Stats’)
“My basic idea is that the world has changed so much, what people need isn’t more data but a new mindset …countries and corporations alike need to adopt that same data-driven understanding of the world if they are to make sense of the changes we are experiencing in this new century and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead”
Derek Poate, President of the UK Evaluation Society, the professional body for policy analysts
“The UKES fully supports the Royal Statistical Society getstats campaign. We aim to promote public understanding and use of evaluation evidence. Statistical literacy aids empowerment and participation. A more statistically aware and numerate public will help better understanding of the impact of policies, encourage civic engagement and promote greater transparency in government.”
Dara O’Briain, Comedian
(in an interview with the Telegraph’s ‘Make Britain Count’ campaign)
“Take statistics as an example. In a world of claim and counterclaim, whether in politics or skin cream advertising, a better understanding of the numbers involved would allow people to make better decisions, cut to the thrust of the argument, or put the snake-oil peddlers to the sword.
If we had a better grasp of the figures when it came to risk, we might be a little more relaxed when flying or more cautious when driving. And we might spend a little less on lottery tickets (“It could be you?” You have a 1 in 13,983,816 chance. It won’t be you).”
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