

More or Less
BBC Radio 4
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 29, 2019 • 9min
Testing tomatoes
Have these saucy fruits become less healthy over time?

Nov 23, 2019 • 9min
The world’s busiest shipping lanes
A listener wrote in asking which is the busiest shipping lane in the world. Ruth Alexander tries to find out with sea traffic analyst and former captain, Amrit Singh and Jean Tournadre, a researcher that uses satellite date to ships. Producer: Darin Graham
Editor: Richard VadonImage: Freighter ships in Thessaloniki, Greece
Credit: Getty Images

Nov 15, 2019 • 12min
Bolivia: Can statistics help detect electoral fraud?
Evo Morales, Bolivia’s longest-serving leader and first indigenous president, stepped down last week amid weeks of protests sparked by a dispute over a recent presidential election in the country. His opponents say the election was rigged but the embattled former president said it was a cunning coup. We take a closer look at the election results and ask if statistics can tell whether it was fair or fraudulent.Dr Calla Hummel of the University of Miami and Professor Romulo Chumacero of the University of Chile join Ruth Alexander to discuss.

Nov 9, 2019 • 9min
Reducing your risk of death
Two statistics about reducing your risk of an early death made headlines around the world recently. The first seems to be a great reason to add a four-legged friend to your life. It suggests that owning a dog is tied to lowering your chance of dying early by nearly a quarter. The second statistic claims that even a minimal amount of running is linked to reducing your risk of premature death by up to 30%. Ruth Alexander finds out what’s behind these numbers and we hear from epidemiologist, Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz.Producer: Darin Graham

Nov 1, 2019 • 9min
Unbelievable: The forgotten rape data
In the United States, some police jurisdictions didn’t send off DNA evidence from people who were raped for testing in a crime lab and for uploading into a national criminal database. Instead, the sets of evidence, known as rape kits, were sat on shelves and in warehouses. It’s estimated that hundreds of thousands need processing. In this edition, Ruth Alexander explores how some jurisdictions are testing the kits now and using the data to catch criminals. Producer: Darin Graham
Presenter: Ruth Alexander(Untested sexual assault kits on warehouse shelves. Image: courtesy Joyful Heart Foundation)

Oct 28, 2019 • 9min
Edith Abbott and crime statistics
Social worker and economist Edith Abbott and her contribution to crime statistics.

Oct 18, 2019 • 20min
Esther Duflo and women in economics
Discussing Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer’s economics Nobel Prize.

Oct 11, 2019 • 29min
The Extra Episode: Minimum wage, drinking in Scotland and identical twins.
We explore the numbers behind the new minimum wage announcements, whether drinking is going up or down in Scotland, the truth about squeezing people onto the Isle of Wight and how long one identical twin lives after the other twin dies. You’ll want to hear our special extra episode.

Oct 7, 2019 • 9min
WS More or Less: Does San Francisco have more rough sleepers than Britain?
Are the shocking statistics true? and how do you count people who don't wish to be found?

Oct 4, 2019 • 28min
New hospitals promised, aid to Ukraine, and bacon sandwiches
Dissecting the government’s hospitals announcement and President Trump’s Ukraine claims.


