942 episodes

Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats BBC Podcasts

    • Business
    • 4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From BBC Radio 4

    Is intermittent fasting going to kill you?

    Is intermittent fasting going to kill you?

    News stories earlier in the year appeared to suggest that time restricted eating – where you consume all your meals in an 8 hour time window – was associated with a 91% increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
    But is this true? Tim Harford looks into the claim with the help of Cardiologist Dr Donald Lloyd-Jones, chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University in the US.
    Presenter: Tim Harford
    Producer: Debbie Richford
    Series producer: Tom Colls
    Production coordinator: Brenda Brown
    Sound mix: Nigel Appleton
    Editor: Richard Vadon

    • 10 min
    MP misconduct, NHS waiting lists and gold (gold)

    MP misconduct, NHS waiting lists and gold (gold)

    Is it going to take 685 years to clear NHS waiting lists in England?
    Are 10 per cent of MPs under investigation for sexual misconduct?
    How does gold effect the UKs export figures?
    What does it mean to say that a woman has 120% chance of getting pregnant?
    Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.
    Presenter: Tim Harford
    Producers: Nathan Gower and Bethan Ashmead Latham
    Series producer: Tom Colls
    Sound mix: Neil Churchill
    Production coordinator: Brenda Brown
    Editor: Richard Vadon

    • 29 min
    Are falling marriage rates causing happiness to fall in the US?

    Are falling marriage rates causing happiness to fall in the US?

    It’s long been known that marriage is associated with happiness in survey data. But are falling marriage rates in the US dragging down the mood of the whole nation?
    We investigate the statistical relationships with Professor Sam Peltzman from the University of Chicago, and Professor John Helliwell, from the University of British Columbia.
    Presenter: Tom Colls
    Reporter: Natasha Fernandes
    Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
    Sound mix: Nigel Appleton
    Editor: Richard Vadon

    • 9 min
    Is reading for pleasure the single biggest factor in how well a child does in life?

    Is reading for pleasure the single biggest factor in how well a child does in life?

    If a child loves reading, how big a difference does that make to their future success?
    In a much-repeated claim, often sourced to a 2002 OECD report, it is suggested that it makes the biggest difference there is – that reading for pleasure is the biggest factor in future success.
    But is that true? We speak to Miyako Ikeda from the OECD and Professor Alice Sullivan from University College London.
    Presenter / series producer: Tom Colls
    Reporter / producer: Debbie Richford
    Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
    Sound mix: Graham Puddifoot
    Editor: Richard Vadon

    • 10 min
    Do one in five young Americans think the holocaust is a myth?

    Do one in five young Americans think the holocaust is a myth?

    Polling by YouGov made headlines around the world when it suggested 20% of young adults in the US thought the holocaust was a myth.
    But polling experts at the Pew Research Centre thought the result might not be accurate, due to problems with the kind of opt-in polling it was based on. They tried to replicate the finding, and did not get the same answer.
    We speak to Andrew Mercer from the Pew Research Centre and YouGov chief scientist Douglas Rivers.
    Presenter /series producer: Tom Colls
    Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
    Sound Mix: Graham Puddifoot
    Editor: Richard Vadon

    • 9 min
    Has Milei fixed Argentina’s inflation problem?

    Has Milei fixed Argentina’s inflation problem?

    Libertarian populist Javier Milei won the presidential election in Argentina on a promise austerity and economic “shock” measures for the ailing economy.
    Just a few months in, some are hailing the falling rate of inflation as showing those measures are working.
    Economist Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, explains whether that thinking is correct.
    Presenter/producer: Tom Colls
    Producer: Ajai Singh
    Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
    Sound mix: Graham Puddifoot
    Editor: Richard Vadon.

    • 8 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
2.7K Ratings

2.7K Ratings

Evil_Pumba ,

Informative

I often end up finding myself correcting friends and colleagues using knowledge from this podcast. Everyone should listen to something like this and read and watch news and other media through the same critical lens taken on this show. Thank you!

A Feral Pigeon ,

Jumping on the transphobia bandwagon.

I’m really disappointed that they chose to let Hilary Cass, a transphobic quack, speak without also featuring any trans people or people with expertise on trans medical care. I’m unsubscribing, as I can’t trust them to present a balanced view any more.

NewModelNo122 ,

Disgusting anti-trans propaganda

Shameful for the BBC to be platforming Dr Cass, who collaborated with anti-trans lobbyists in the U.K. and US to create a sham of a document that is now being used to deny trans people healthcare. No trans people were interviewed for the episode either. Reaching new low every day at the BBC.

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