4.1.2 Using Terms

Statistical language is precise and concise if you know it and use it properly. If some of your readers will have to translate the terms or you will have to explain them, perhaps it’s better to simply translate them. But do it correctly. Ultimately, the reader must understand what the numbers mean, not just what they are.

Choose the simplest, most precise description.

Examples:

• According to the Census Bureau, the median U.S. household income in 2007 was $50,740.1

Does everyone know what median means? You could provide a definition such as “the median is the value that divides the distribution of observed data in halves” or more simply report that “50% of U.S. households had incomes of $50,740 or less.”

• According to the California Tomato Growers Association (CTGA), “Each man, woman and child in America consumes almost 80 pounds of tomatoes every year.”2

Chances are the CTGA is reporting consumption per capita, or the average for the U.S. population. Their choice of words says that each and every man, woman and child in the United States eats tomatoes and each eats almost 80 pounds every year. This is certainly not true.

1. State & County QuickFacts
2. Once found in a California Tomato Growers Association brochure

Percentage vs. Percent?

Percentage is a noun and is not used with a number, such as “A large percentage of buyers…”

Percent is an adverb that is used with a number, such as “Forty percent of buyers…”

From: Ask Dr. Math