More or Less: Behind the Stats

Ben Goldacre, Director of the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at Oxford, explains the use of OpenSAFELY to unlock medical data. They discuss the balance between research benefits and privacy concerns with large medical datasets, pseudonomization techniques, and the importance of accessing health records for analysis, including insights from COVID-19 research efforts.

Government's fiscal rule on national debt, the impact of international students on UK universities, the distinction between affordable rent and social rent in social housing, and the truth about shark being sold in fish and chip shops.

The podcast explores the trend of young men and women dividing by gender on their politics, with women leaning liberal and men leaning conservative. They discuss the influence of higher education, the Me Too movement, and social media on this global gender split. The South Korean gender divide is highlighted as one of the most extreme. The frustrations of young men in politics and the impact of gender policies on their views are also examined.

This podcast delves into the discrepancies in council tax payments between houses in Westminster and houses in Hartlepool. It exposes the regressive nature of the council tax system in England and the unfairness of outdated property valuations. The podcast also explores the UK population projections and the factors influencing them, including migration. Additionally, it discusses the difficulties in estimating the cost of junior doctor strikes in England.

Keith Houston, author of Empire of the Sum: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator, discusses the evolution of calculators from the Arithmometer to pocket-sized devices in the 1970s and 1980s. It explores the competition between an abacus and an electromechanical calculator, the popularity of calculator watches, and the continued use of calculators in a digital age.

Investigating the low measles vaccination rate in Birmingham, the economic costs of Brexit, falling crime rates, and the success rate of contestants in identifying traitors.

Investigating Oxfam's claim of growing wealth inequality, analyzing the accuracy and implications. Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on wealth distribution and global income inequality trends.

Topics discussed include the rise in the cost of the weekly shop, disruptions in international shipping, frequent attendees in healthcare consultations, wind chill and its effects on temperature, and a critical analysis of a report on global wealth and poverty.

Discover the mind-boggling number of possible chess games and the influential work of mathematicians. Explore how Claude Shannon estimated the immense number of possible chess games and the challenges of creating a computer that can play perfectly. Learn about the finite nature of the observable universe and how it compares to the vastness of chess possibilities.

Paul Lewis, economist and financial journalist, discusses the low percentage of people who pay inheritance tax. The podcast also explores the impact of COVID-19 and flu on the NHS, analyzes the decline in UK life expectancy, and investigates the feral cat population in Australia.