300 episodes
More or Less: Behind the Stats BBC
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- News
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4.6, 1.8K Ratings
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Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From BBC Radio 4
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Covid in Africa
Do we have enough data to know what’s happening on the continent? We talk to Dr Justin Maeda from the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Ghanaian public health researcher Nana Kofi Quakyi about tracking Africa’s outbreak. Producer: Jo Casserly Picture: Volunteers wait to feed local people during the weekly feeding scheme at the Heritage Baptist Church in Melville on the 118 day of lockdown due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2020. Credit: EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
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Data in the time of cholera
Tim Harford speaks to Steven Johnson about William Farr and the birth of epidemiology in the 1800s.
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Covid misconceptions and US deaths
Tim Harford talks to statistician Ola Rosling about his research into misconceptions about Covid-19. And an update on the epidemic in the US.
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Sweden’s lockdown lite
Unlike its Nordic neighbours, Sweden never imposed a lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus. Tim Harford speaks to statistician Ola Rosling to find out what the results have been.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Jo Casserly
Picture: A woman wearing a face mask stands at a Stockholm bus stop where a sign reminds passengers to maintain a minimum social distance. Sweden 25 June 2020. Credit: EPA/ Stina Stjernkvist -
Why Trump is wrong about the USA’s coronavirus case comeback
Are cases really rising in the US or are they just testing more? Tim digs into the data.
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Why did the UK have such a bad Covid-19 epidemic?
The UK has suffered one of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus anywhere in the world. We’ve been tracking and analysing the numbers for the last 14 weeks, and in the last programme of this More or Less series, we look back through the events of March 2020 to ask why things went so wrong - was it bad decision-making, bad advice, or bad luck?
Customer Reviews
Important, smart and fun! Essential listening.
I’ve been a long time listener and I often play this podcast to cheer me up. This should be essential listening for school kids!
Essential Listening.
I am a long term listener to the podcast version. It is essential listening to make sense of the numbers bandied about by politicians and mainstream news journalists. It brings clarity whilst explaining the real numbers. I think it would be fabulous to have an episode after every news broadcast to explain and clarify the statistical claims in the news.
The best podcast ever!!
I’m a long term subscriber to More or Less and think it’s by far the best programme on BBC Radio 4. Whenever I hear someone on the news quoting statistics, More or Less is where I go to get the true picture. It’s so clear and easy to follow - the presenters are just wonderful - I’m constantly amazed and uplifted by the knowledge and expertise of all the contributors and Tim manages to keep a balanced approach throughout. During the pandemic the coverage was of the highest standard and I waited every week to hear the actual numbers behind the political spin. We need more programming of this high standard. More or Less shows how it should be done.
