Quants & Crits: How Not to Be Lied to With Statistics

• In Event: Crossing Boundaries and Blending Methodologies: Innovations in Critical Race Research Methods and Methodologies

Abstract

Darrell Huff’s slim volume ‘How to Lie with Statistics’ (first published in 1954) has become one of the most successful and influential books ever written on the topic of statistics. Part of the book’s enduring appeal is that it demystifies statistics by looking at how the everyday use of numbers (especially in news media) can give a false impression of reality. In a similar spirit, in this paper we offer a brief guide to common problems that are encountered when statistics are used in relation to race equity and education. In particular, we work from the founding tenets of critical race theory (CRT) to propose some basic principles as a means of outlining key questions that must be asked when confronted with quantitative data on race and social justice. This is a vital task. CRT is based on a radical epistemology that gives special status to the experiential knowledge of people of color and usually draws upon qualitative methods. In stark contrast, public policy and media debates frequently dismiss qualitative data as ‘anecdotal’ and prefer to trade in the assumed ‘objectivity’ of statistics. In this paper, we argue that critical race theorists need to be aware of the countless ways in which the use of numbers can smuggle racist assumptions into the heart of debates. We aim to alert critical race scholars and activists to these problems and give them the tools to use numbers towards radical ends. 

Authors

• Claire E. Crawford, University of Birmingham

• Sean Demack, Sheffield Hallam University

• David Gillborn, The University of Birmingham

• Paul Warmington, The University of Birmingham