More or Less: Behind the Stats Podcast
Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
Episodes to download
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Is the UK really ahead in cutting carbon emissions?
Sat 30 Sep 2023
As the UK changes course in its path to net zero, how does it compare with other nations?
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NHS consultant pay, Net Zero claims and Scotland's ferry woes
Wed 27 Sep 2023
Are consultants in England really paid an average of Β£120,000 a year?
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Which city has the longest canals?
Sat 23 Sep 2023
We dive into the world of waterways after a listener asked who has the longest canals.
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Social housing, NHS workforce and Liz Truss debt claims
Wed 20 Sep 2023
Have the Tories really built a record number of social rent homes since 2010?
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How to approach the world through numbers
Sat 16 Sep 2023
Professor David Sumpter talks to Tim Harford about his new book
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Skin cancer, London rents and your great great great granddaughter
Wed 13 Sep 2023
Is it true that 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women in the UK will get skin cancer?
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Did 35,000 Americans die building the Panama Canal?
Mon 11 Sep 2023
We fact check a claim made by Donald Trump about the world famous canal
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Covid deaths, North Sea gas and Chloe Kelly's World Cup penalty
Wed 6 Sep 2023
Covid related deaths are rising in England and Wales - we investigate the figures
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What percentage of our brain do we actually use?
Sat 2 Sep 2023
Do we have access to some or all of our brain-power?
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HS2 and electric cars, UK vs China emissions & massive maths errors
Wed 30 Aug 2023
Can you really buy an electric car for everybody in the UK for the cost of HS2?
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How safe is the release of Fukushima nuclear plant water?
Sat 26 Aug 2023
We ask whether there are any risks posed by the release into the Pacific Ocean.
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How many butterflies are there in the world?
Sat 19 Aug 2023
The world’s butterfly population doesn’t seem to be online – so what is it?
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Why is it so hard to predict the outcome of competitions like the Premier League?
Sat 12 Aug 2023
What variables do we look at when we try to predict the outcome of a sports competition?
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Are the media exaggerating how hot it is in the Mediterranean?
Sat 5 Aug 2023
A look at how accurately media report on the weather – especially recent heatwaves.
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Data, extreme weather and climate change
Sat 29 Jul 2023
The role data plays in climate attribution - and why we don’t always have it
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Ukraine war: A new way of calculating Russian deaths
Sat 22 Jul 2023
How Russian journalists are using probate records to estimate fatalities
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Are more adult nappies sold in Japan than baby ones?
Sat 15 Jul 2023
We examine a claim related to the perception of Japan as an ageing society.
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Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?
Sat 8 Jul 2023
The numbers behind water use and denim production.
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Immigration: A More or Less Special Programme
Wed 5 Jul 2023
Who is coming to the UK - and how do we count them?
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Will there be just 6 grandchildren for every 100 South Koreans?
Sat 1 Jul 2023
We look at the numbers around South Korea’s birth rate and the reasons why it’s so low.
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Halving inflation, Scottish tidal power and have 1 in 3 women had an abortion?
Wed 28 Jun 2023
Will Rishi Sunak’s pledge to halve inflation happen?
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US National Debt: is $32 trillion a big number?
Sat 24 Jun 2023
How concerned should we be about how much the US government borrows?
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Mortgages, birth rates and does space contribute 18% to UK GDP?
Wed 21 Jun 2023
Who will be most affected by mortgage rate increases?
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Is breastfeeding the key to exam success?
Sat 17 Jun 2023
We look at a new UK study that links being breastfed as a baby with academic achievement.
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Electric vehicles, 600 million bottles and does oral sex cause cancer?
Wed 14 Jun 2023
Is the weight of electric vehicles a risk to infrastructure?
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Lib Dem ambulance claims, affordable rent and goat meat
Wed 7 Jun 2023
Did 120 people a day in England die last year whilst waiting for an ambulance?
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A short history of data
Sat 3 Jun 2023
How the evolution of data over centuries has shaped today’s world
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Food prices, net migration and beef about beef
Wed 31 May 2023
Does Britain really have the most affordable food in Europe?
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NHS waiting lists, Voter ID and measuring divorce
Wed 24 May 2023
Why a fall in those waiting longest for treatment in England isn't telling the whole story
