Damned lies and statistics : untangling numbers from the media, politicians, and activists / Joel Best.

Berkeley : University of California Press, [2001], ©2001.

ix, 190 pages ; 22 cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: the worst social statistic ever -- The importance of social statistics -- Soft facts: sources of bad statistics -- Mutant statistics: methods for mangling numbers -- Apples and oranges: inappropriate comparisons -- Stat wars: conflicts over social statistics -- Thinking about social statistics: the critical approach.