However, when that information is misused, even by accident, it becomes a misleading statistic. Statistics often reveal a lot about the world and the way it works. It’s especially useful to have statistics if you are dealing with a large amount of data, but anything that can be measured can become a statistic. Statistics are the result of gathering numerical data, analyzing it carefully, and then interpreting it. You will also learn when and how to use data when making critical decisions. It will discuss how this data misleads people.

This post will help you learn to recognize misleading statistics and other misleading data. You can find examples in the news, in advertising, in politics, and even in science. People come across misleading statistics examples in many different areas of life. This is just one example of how misleading statistics are used. Most dentists recommended other kinds of toothpaste as well, and Colgate usually came up at some point later on. But not all of them cited Colgate as their number one recommendation. It is true that many dentists recommend Colgate toothpaste.

After looking into the matter, the ADA discovered that the ad was using misleading statistics. The complaint the ADA received argued that this was a breach of the advertising rules in the UK. The ad famously claims that 80% of dentists recommend using Colgate toothpaste. For example, in 2007 the Advertising Standards Authority (ADA) in the UK received a complaint about a Colgate ad. But sometimes statistics can be presented in a misleading way.

In the business world, statistics can be useful for tracking trends, and maximizing productivity. People rely on statistics to gain important information.

Real world examples of data dredging