Shows / Stats + Stories
Stats + Stories
Statistics need Stories to give them meaning. Stories need Statistics to give them credibility. Every Thursday John Bailer & Rosemary Pennington get together with a new, interesting guest to bring you the Statistics behind the Stories and the Stories behind the Statistics.
Episodes
Stats + StoriesCan You Still Predict Elections? | Stats + Stories Episode 162 (REPOST)
With the 2020 U-S presidential election all but upon us, media are rife with prognostications about which way voters are going to swing. Will reliably red…
Stats + StoriesWhen the Numbers Are the News | Stats + Stories Episode 397
The federal government generates a lot of data, produced by agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau. These data inform the…
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Stats Of Cool Cats: Emotions, Mood Management And Cat Videos | Stats + Stories Episode 41 (REPOST)
Jessica G. Myrick (@jessmyrick) is an associate professor of media studies at the Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State University. Her research…
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Bots, Algorithms, and Political Narratives | Stats + Stories Episode 396
There's a lot of concern about how bots and algorithms shape our experiences, both online and off. Increasingly, those concerns are focused on our politics…
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Immigration's Economic Impact | Stats + Stories Episode 395
During the 2010s, the United States netted just under one million new immigrants each year; between 2022 and 2024, that number was closer to three million. But…
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'13 Reasons Why' Association with Youth Suicide | Stats + Stories Episode 144 (REPOST)
When reporters cover mass shootings news outlets often struggle to find ways to cover the event that won’t inspire others to do the same thing. Something…
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Communicating Scientific Contributions | Stats + Stories Episode 394
When you think about science’s contribution to society, do you think first about new inventions with an immediate economic benefit? What about scientific…
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The Dangers of GLP-1s | Stats + Stories Episode 393
Research suggests that more than half of Americans could benefit from taking a GLP-1 RA medication. The drugs were originally designed to help manage type two…
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What is Nutrition Science | Stats + Stories Episode 214 (REPOST)
An entire industry has grown up around nutrition and health. People pushing everything from shakes, to meal kits, to special diets. While some of the claims…
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Leadership and Women in Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 392
Women regularly hold leadership roles in stats departments at universities and in major statistical organizations, but it wasn't so long ago that women had to…
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The Best Sports Stats from the Past Year | Stats + Stories Episode 391
Sports and statistics go hand-in-hand. But some of those statistics are more interesting than others. Each year, the Royal Statistical Society highlights some…
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The Impact of College Vaccine Mandates | Stats + Stories Episode 244 (REPOST)
Last academic year colleges and universities across the US struggled with whether to mandate COVID vaccinations for their students. While colleges often…
Stats + StoriesTaylor Swift and Markov Chains | Stats + Stories Episode 390
Taylor Swift is an entertainment juggernaut. She's become one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, with her Eras tour grossing more than $2…
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Urban Displacement | Stats + Stories Episode 389
It can take decades for an urban community to develop, but a fraction of that time for it to be torn apart. Each year, urban residents are forced out of their…
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Public Health Equity | Stats + Stories Episode 388
The World Health Organization defines health equity as a public health concept describing equity of access to health resources for genetic…
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Running the Numbers: Portraits of Human Mass Culture | Stats + Stories Episode 387
A 2010 statistic reports that, on average, there are 29,000 personal bankruptcy filings per week in the US, while another states that, on average, 50,000…
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Step Out in the Sunshine | Stats + Short Stories Episode 325 (REPOST)
As you reach the end of a long day with an excess of stress how do you recharge? Have you found that a long stroll in the sun or through the woods can provide…
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Building Statistical Capacity in Africa | Stats + Stories Episode 386
In order to promote the economic and social development of countries, you have to be clear about what economic and social development even means and how you'll…
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The Etymology of the Word Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 248 (REPOST)
In the late 1600s, a book was published satirizing politics in Europe. Published two decades after the end of the 30 Years’ War, it focuses on the power of the…
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Odds of the Derby | Stats + Stories Episode 385
With the arrival of spring, anticipation grows for the start of horse racing in the United States. The pinnacle of success in the sport is achieved by a horse…
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A Statistician Clears the Air | Stats + Stories Episode 20 (REPOST)
Barry Nussbaum (@StatisticsBarry ) is former Chief Statistician at the US EPA, and is president-elect of the American Statistical Association. Included among…
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What Are Blue Foods? | Stats + Stories Episode 384
More than 3 billion people rely on seafood to supply a significant portion of the annual protein in their diets. That number will only rise as the global…
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Suffragette Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 318 (REPOST)
The work of suffragettes in both the United Kingdom and the United States has been immortalized in textbooks, as well as in movies and TV. The women activists…
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Countering Vaccine Skepticism | Stats + Stories Episode 383 Pt. 2
In early January 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced changes to the childhood immunization schedules, reducing the number of…
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Countering Vaccine Skepticism | Stats + Stories Episode 383 Pt. 1
Three hundred and thirty-two days, that was the international statistic of the year in 2020, as identified by the Royal Statistical Society. That was the…
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Measuring Poverty | Stats + Stories Episode 382
According to the World Bank, some 3.5 billion people live on less than $7 a day. That's more than 40% of the global population. Almost 700 million of those…
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Tracking Health Over Time | Stats + Stories Episode 85 (REPOST)
Dr. Lloyd Edwards is Professor and Chair of Biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Edwards has an extensive background in collaborating…
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The Classic “Will They, or Won’t They?” and the Kiss Effect | Stats + Stories Episode 381
Television is filled with "will they or won't they" couples. Friends had Ross and Rachel. Parks and Rec had Leslie and Ben. The Gilmore Girls, had Lorelei and…
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Protecting Seaside Cities from Possible Future Impacts of Climate Change | Stats + Stories Episode 53 (REPOST)
Peter Guttorp (@pgseattle) is a Professor at the Norwegian Computing Center in Oslo, Norway, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington, Seattle…
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Counting Costs of Conflict | Stats + Stories Episode 380
When it comes to studying conflict, there is obvious data to examine: spending on arms, the number of people killed or injured, and the amount of land won or…
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Health Benefits of Riding an Electric Bike | Stats + Short Stories Episode 319 (REPOST)
Hybrid cars are everywhere now but what is your best option if you want to feel the wind in your hair, or at least under your helmet and you want to get a…
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Hit Songs by the Numbers & What They Reveal About Us | Stats + Stories Episode 379
The Billboard Hot 100 has been ranking the week's most popular music since 1958. The first song to top the chart was Ricky Nelson's Poor Little Fool. The most…
Stats + StoriesData for Good | Stats + Stories Episode 378
On the podcast, we talk about the ways we live in and with data, as well as the ways data shape our lives and our politics. Public discourse around data is…
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Just In Time For The Holiday Shopping Season - A Story About Online Marketing | Stats + Stories Episode 47 (REPOST)
Glenn Platt (@glennplatt) is the C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Network Technology & Management & Director of Interactive Media Studies at Miami University…
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Football Figures | Stats + Stories Episode 377
American Football is a game played with 11 players on offense competing against 11 players on defense, with a sequence of plays executed as one team attempts…
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The Art of Uncertainty | Stats + Stories Episode 376
News stories are filled with tales of risk and uncertainty. We're told the probable chance of a weather event or how likely it is that we might contract an…
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Thankful For A Bountiful Harvest - How Bountiful Was It And Who Produced It? | Stats + Stories Episode 45 (REPOST)
Linda J. Young is Chief Mathematical Statistician and Director of Research and Development of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service . She oversees…
Stats + StoriesEnhancing Statistical Literacy | Stats + Stories Episode 375
Statistical literacy was described by Iddo Gal as "the ability to interpret, critically, evaluate and communicate about statistical information and messages"…
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No One is Poisoning Your Kids' Candy, Trust the Numbers | Stats + Stories Episode 206 (REPOST)
The costumes are ready and the annual opportunity to go out and harass your neighbors to get candy is once again upon us. Yes, it's time for Halloween. And…
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Deciphering Dishonest Charts | Stats + Stories Episode 374
Data visualizations are everywhere, showing up in social media, in the news, and on company websites. With this onslaught, it can be hard to know what…
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The Age of the Supercentenarian | Stats + Stories Episode 229 (REPOST)
When American comedian and actor Betty White died, fans lamented the fact that she had just missed making it to her 100th birthday. They felt she’d been robbed…
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Choosing a College in the Era of Polarization | Stats + Stories Episode 373
Fall is admissions season at universities across the United States. As colleges work to recruit a new class, a new working paper suggests that politics might…
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Intl Prize Stat Winner Grace Wahba Legendary, Statistician & Mentor | Stats + Stories Episode 372
The international prize in statistics is awarded every two years by a collaboration among five leading international statistics organizations: the American…
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Viral Statistical Capacity Building | Stats + Stories Episode 293 (REPOST)
Matthew Shearing is a private sector consultant working globally in partnership with the public, private and not-for-profit sectors on improving official…
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Reading Racy Research | Stats + Stories Episode 371
Have you ever wondered if what you eat is aging you, or whether women in red really are sexier? In addition to turning to Reddit for the answers to those…
Stats + StoriesComedy, Art, and ... Statistics? | Stats + Stories: Episode 370
A statistician walks into a bar, and a comedy and art show begins. Creative work for scholars can extend beyond novel research and application. In today's…
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Communicating Statistics Effectively | Stats and Stories at JSM (REPOST)
John Bailer is “the stats guy” and co-creator of Stats+Stories. He is also University Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Statistics at…
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Stat Significant | Stats + Stories Episode 369
Have you ever wondered if people actually hate Coldplay? Do you want statistical proof that Game of Thrones did not stick the landing in its finale? Have you…
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Signing Statistics | Stats + Stories Episode 239 (REPOST)
What is a median? How about an interquartile range? Don’t even get me started on how to define a p-value. These statistical concepts are hard to grasp for your…
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Excellence in Statistical Reporting | Stats + Stories Episode 368
The National Association of science writers has about 2000 members, even as the field of science journalism has been experiencing a contraction. In her 2025…
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The Ocean Health Index | Stats + Stories Episode 203 (REPOST)
The health of the world's oceans is a growing concern but measuring ocean health is a complicated undertaking. Some people studying the issue focus on…
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Amazonian Ancient Earthworks | Stats + Stories Episode 367
The Amazon has been imagined as a pristine wilderness, one in need of protection from development. This framing has often treated the Amazon as a place without…
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Days of R COVID Lives | Stats + Stories Episode 366
Early in the COVID pandemic, as we figured out how to live our lives solely at home, news stories began to be filled with stories about COVID’s spread and…
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Measuring the Impact of Universal Basic Income | Stats + Stories Episode 287 (REPOST)
What is the best way to support people living in extreme poverty? Could unconditional cash transfers and universal basic income be viable options? How can we…
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Fair Play on the Fairway | Stats + Stories Episode 365
Rory McIlroy was leading the 2025 U.S. Masters golf tournament by two strokes after three rounds. So was his ultimate victory a sure thing? How predictive is a…
Stats + StoriesStatistical Summer Transportation Safety | Stats + Short Stories Episode 146 (REPOST)
What comes to mind at the start of summer? Backyard barbecues, quality time spent, and long drive. Transportation safety is the topic of this episode of…
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Statistical Literacy | Stats + Stories Episode 364
Every year, statistics classes are filled with math averse students who white knuckle it to the end of the semester in the hopes of getting a passing grade…
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What is Nutrition Science | Stats + Stories Episode 214 (REPOST)
An entire industry has grown up around nutrition and health. People pushing everything from shakes, to meal kits, to special diets. While some of the claims…
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Explaining Science | Stats + Stories Episode 363
In a commencement speech in 2016, Atul Gawande told the crowd that science is a, "commitment to a systematic way of thinking, an allegiance to a way of…
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Global Weirding | Stats + Stories Episode 362
More than 15 years ago, Thomas Friedman wrote, “I prefer the term “global weirding,” because that is what actually happens as global temperatures rise and the…