Can you handle the truth? Facts, figures and communicating uncertainty

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• David Spiegelhalter (Statistical Laboratory)
• Tuesday 14 November 2017, 17:30-20:00
• Peterhouse Lecture Theatre, Trumpington Street.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Jackie Ouchikh.

Attendance at this event is by registration only.

A distinguished panel of producers, users and communicators of official statistics discuss how uncertainty is, could, and should be communicated.

To register your attendance, please visit the CSaP website

We can never be certain about facts and figures and yet there seems to be an almost universal push for certainty in society. It is often said that politicians, media and the wider public are uncomfortable with ambiguity and demand simple solutions to precisely defined problems.

There are concerns that trying to communicate uncertainty will undermine people’s trust, and make it more difficult to reach decisions. But could the opposite be true? Could a greater effort to communicate uncertainty improve the quality of policy making and public discourse? Panellists

Chaired and hosted by Sir David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, guest speakers include: Sir David Norgrove, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority; and Amanda Farnsworth, Head of Visual and Data Journalism, BBC News.

This talk is part of the Centre for Science and Policy Distinguished Lecture Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Cambridge talks
• Centre for Science and Policy Distinguished Lecture Series
• Peterhouse Lecture Theatre, Trumpington Street
• Trust & Technology Initiative - interesting events

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