Today’s inflation figures showed prices rising faster than at any time in the past three years. Now, the Office for National Statistics has put almost all of its focus on a newer and controversial measure called CPIH which adds owner-occupiers’ housing costs to the basket. But so far it has failed to win the official badge of excellence, classification as a “national statistic” by the nation’s fact-checker, the UK Statistics Authority. The ONS boasts that confidence in its statistics remains high: four out of five people trust them. Treating data with the proper respect is an important part of persuading people to adjust their prejudices to accommodate the facts.

Source: The Guardian April 11, 2017 18:56 UTC