Statistics are tools. Nonfiction writers have to know which ones to use and how to use them. That will depend on the text, the source, and the statistic.
Nonfiction readers punish excess. It’s better to use a few statistics well than to lug around a bunch of them.
This requires understanding the math of the relevant statistic, yes, but that is not sufficient. A classic example of poor statistical understanding is ignoring how averages mash things together that are actually different from each other.
The other and more common failure when using statistics is not understanding the relevant part of the real world. A statistic is a record of a pattern of something other than itself. That pattern has a construction to it, which must be understood.
Understanding the relevant part of the real world can help in two ways. First, you are able to accept or reject statistical arguments about it. Second, you are able to identify statistical arguments or inquiries that have not been raised before.
Readers not only value understanding what a statistic represents, but accept, reject, and adjust the weight of a statistic based on what they feel and think about the source. A company-ordered survey about how happy its customers are with its product will have less weight than when a consulting firm independently orders a survey about customer happiness in a market segment with respect to each participant.
People are involved in how statistics come about. It could simply be recording the statistic, like counting how many eyewitnesses saw the light was green versus those who saw it was red. Alternatively people might construct the statistic, say by sending a survey to people who had never thought of the questions in it before.
Before writing about a statistic, ask:
- Is the source of the statistic trustworthy?
- How was the statistic created?
- What does the statistic do for my point or question?
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