Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The best UK statistics of 2010

Returning from a blissful week in Tutukaka, we found the end-of-year issue of The Week in our letterbox. Among its round-up of the year is a “Statistics of the Year” section. Here are three samples:

1. The Guardian on the benefits of higher education:
One in three call-centre workers in the UK has a university degree.
2. The Financial Times echoes Charles de Gaulle’s oft-quoted quote about the impossibility of governing France:
There are 700 varieties of cheese made in Britain – 100 more than in France.
3. The Guardian on jumping the shark:
About ten people a year are killed by sharks, and about 73 million sharks are killed by humans.
I’d call 7.3 million to one a pretty good ratio in our favour.

4. The Times Education Supplement on literacy and numeracy:
22% of English 16 to 19-year-olds are functionally innumerate, and 17% are illiterate.
So their employment prospects in journalism are excellent.
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3 comments:

  1. bk drinkwaterJanuary 12, 2011 at 11:41 PM

    "I’d call 7.3 million to one a pretty good ratio in our favour."

    And this is why we're top of the food chain.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stephen StratfordJanuary 13, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    Indeed, BK. Though sometimes in summer I wonder whether mosquitoes are.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DenisJanuary 14, 2011 at 8:47 PM

    This brings to mind the British response to a survey showing the Irish had higher educational standards than the English. The headline - 'We are thicker than the Irish!'

    ReplyDelete