Statistics Porn

Back when the Canadian government did away with our country's mandatory census and proclaimed that a voluntary census makes no difference to the quality of data, I lamented about the ignorance of our elected officials. In a subsequent post, I lamented further about the lack of numeracy in our general population.

Math, as a school subject, is daunting for some. Educators have sought methods to make the subject more relevant and more interesting to kids. I think a similar marketing campaign is needed for our adults as well. Present data in a way that is both visually appealing and socially relevant. Statistics porn, if you will.

Here's a wonderful example of what I'm talking about, courtesy of the BBC and Dr. Hans Rosling:



The top comment on YouTube for this video even says "lol why did this movie turn me on so much?". Porn indeed.

And if you watched the video, you'll know why I'm interested in getting an ex-pat position in China, specifically Shanghai, two and a half years after first visiting this vibrant city on a business trip.