When Politicians Play With Statistics

At Chosen Narrative, we aspire to share the individual stories behind statistics. But what happens when these statistics are skewed?

The whole reason for all of this, you know, playing with statistics, is for optics so that the governor could get reelected. And so, from that perspective, has it worked? Yes. It's worked for him.

- Gary Hale

A study by the marshall project

It’s not unusual for politicians to use statistics to their advantage, even if the presentation of the numbers needs to be tweaked slightly. The Marshall Project recently published a fascinating article that demonstrates how political leaders amplify certain figures and shift metrics in order to further their campaign.

While continuing to cite the statistics, McCraw sought to minimise their significants, saying that what matters most is "not how much crime you're enforcing. It's the absence of it."

- Lomi Kriel

The article covers Operation Lone Star and describes how Texas Governor Greg Abbott skewed data to suggest that a multi-billion dollar border operation was working. His main goal? To get re-elected.

Gary Hale, a former Chief of Intelligence for the Drug Enforcement Administration said, “The whole reason for all this, you know, playing with statistics, is for optics so that the governor could get re-elected. We really haven’t had any significant impact on migrant smuggling or drug trafficking.”

Is our trust in statistics misplaced?

Where does that leave us as the general public? Is our trust in statistics misplaced?

Alone, statistics only scratch the surface. Listening and learning will take us deeper toward better understanding.

Read the full story on The Marshall Project here.