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75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

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PODCAST

More or Less

Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life

science mathematics

All Episodes

10:00

Do 85% of the world’s population practice a religion?

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2024/09/21

We don’t usually do god on More or Less, but one listener got in touch to ask us to investigate a stat used by an Anglican priest on a BBC radio programme. Speaking on the “Thought for the Day” slot, Reverend Lucy Winkett said that around 85% of the world's population practice a religion. Is this true? We speak to Conrad Hackett, from the Pew Research Center, and the person whose research is the source for the claim.Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Natasha Fernandes Series producer: Tom Colls

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28:50

How do you count millionaires?

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2024/09/18

Can we be sure that thousands of millionaires are leaving the UK?How much do asylum seekers cost the state? Who will win a geeky bet on private school pupil numbers? What does a string quartet teach us about the woes of the National Health Service?Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Caroline Bayley, Natasha Fernandes and Bethan Ashmead-Latham Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound mix: Sarah Hockley Editor:

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8:59

Nate Silver: Do risk-takers run the world?

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2024/09/14

Big stakes poker player and elections analyst Nate Silver is no stranger to a calculated risk. In his new book, On The Edge, he makes the case that people willing to take massive calculated risks are winning in the modern economy. Tim Harford talks to Nate about the mindset that’s driving hedge fund managers, crypto true-believers and silicon valley investors.Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Beth Ashmead Latham Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound mix: Nigel

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27:42

How long does it take to turn around an oil tanker?

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2024/09/11

Do illegal migrants receive more in benefits than pensioners?Was Energy Secretary Ed Miliband right to celebrate a “record breaking” renewable energy auction? Is one divided by zero infinity? Why don’t we spend more on evidence that government spending works? And how long does it actually take to turn around an oil tanker?Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Charlotte McDonald Producers: Natasha Fernandes, Bethan Ashmead-Latham and Nathan

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8:58

Who pays when trade wars heat up?

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2024/09/07

Donald Trump wants new tariffs on goods coming into the US, describing them as a tax on other countries. The Democrats are no stranger to trade tariffs themselves, with Joe Biden having added them to numerous goods coming into the US from China.We talk to Erica York from the Tax Foundation about how tariffs work and who ends up paying for them.Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Kate Lamble and Beth Ashmead Latham Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound mix: Steve

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28:53

Exclusions, black holes and dividing by zero

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2024/09/04

Do half of children in Wales have special educational needs?Are permanent exclusions at the highest ever level in England? Labour are talking about a £22bn black hole. Is that a new black hole in the finances? Are there more Ghanaian nurses in the UK than in Ghana? Can you divide one by zero?Tim Harford looks at some of the numbers in the news.Presenter: Tim Harford Reporters: Kate Lamble and Nathan Gower Producer: Beth Ashmead Latham Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie

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9:02

Where have Cuba’s people gone?

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2024/08/31

The Cuban government has announced that their population has fallen by 10% in two years – just days after a demographer on the Caribbean island suggested an even bigger fall. But which is the right number, and why are so many people leaving? We speak to Dr Emily Morris from University College London and Dr Jorge Duany from the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.Presenter: Kate LambleProducer: Beth Ashmead Latham Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie

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8:58

Do we eat a credit card's worth of microplastic each...

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2024/08/24

The claim we all swallow 5.5 grams of microplastic each week – the same as the weight of a credit card – has been repeated by charities, newspapers and the World Economic Forum. But when you understand how this number was calculated, and the range of possible answers for the amount of plastic you eat, you might not want to repeat it yourself. Professor Jamie Woodward from the University of Manchester explains what’s what. Presenter: Kate LambleProducer: Beth Ashmead Latham Researcher: Ajai Singh

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8:57

Are companies making more money from their customers?

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2024/08/17

Recent reports claimed the average global mark-up, the difference between the price of production and the price that product is sold for, rose from 7% in 1980 to 59% by 2020.So is this true? Are some companies choosing to charge us more than ever for their products?We investigate the accuracy of these claims, and which companies are responsible with the help of Jan Eeckhout a Professor of Economics at Pompeu Fabra University in BarcelonaPresenter: Kate LambleProducer: Beth Ashmead Latham

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10:42

Is planet Earth getting greener?

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2024/08/10

Canadian psychologist and culture war commentator Jordan Peterson says planet Earth has got 20% greener in the last 20 years. But satellite data tells a different story. We investigate the correct number, with the help of Dr Chi Chen, from Rutgers University in the US.Presenter: Kate LambleSeries producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Giles Aspen Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

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9:49

Does a language die every two weeks?

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2024/08/03

Researchers have catalogued 7,164 languages spoken around the world - some are used daily by billions. Half are spoken by less than 8000 people. The death of a language, when it’s no longer spoken as a first language by anyone living is a deeply significant moment in the cultural life of communities. Multiple sources including the UN and National Geographic magazine have claimed this happens every two weeks. But we have reasons to be suspicious about that statistic.Gary Simons, executive editor

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12:59

Are women 14 times more likely to die in natural...

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2024/07/27

The idea that women outnumber men by 14 to 1 as casualties of natural disasters has been repeated in newspapers and online for years - the UN have even used this statistic.But when you track down the source, the research behind this claim leaves much to be desired.Presenter: Kate LambleSeries producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Nigel Appleton Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

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10:04

Is increasing turbulence making flying more dangerous?

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2024/07/20

Is climate change making turbulence more dangerous for people taking flights around the world? That’s what one listener asked, following a terrifying turbulence incident which left one person dead and more than 20 injured on a flight to Singapore.We speak to turbulence expert Paul Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, to understand what is going on.Presenter: Kate LambleProducer: Nathan Gower Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound

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8:59

Federer’s 54%: Tennis stats explained

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2024/07/13

How can tennis star Roger Federer have won only 54% of the points he played, but been the best player in the world?Jeff Sackmann, the tennis stats brain behind tennisabstract.com, explains to Tim Harford how probability works in the sport.Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Debbie Richford Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Nigel Appleton Editor: Richard Vadon

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9:35

The magic of trigonometry

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2024/07/06

You might have found it boring in school maths classes, but Matt Parker thinks we should all learn to love trigonometry. The ‘Love Triangle’ author talks to Tim Harford about the maths used in GPS, architecture and special effects. Presenter: Tim HarfordProducer: Debbie Richford Series Producer: Tom Colls Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Nigel Appleton Editor: Richard Vadon

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37:24

Election endings, tennis and meeting men in finance

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2024/07/03

Are Labour right about employment? Are the Conservatives right about cutting NHS managers? Are the Lib Dems right about share buyback? Are Reform UK right about their tax plans? How do they make the exit poll so accurate? What are the odds of meeting a very tall man in finance (with a trust fund)? What does it mean that Roger Federer only won 54% of the points he played? Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Kate Lamble Producers: Nathan Gower,

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9:03

How a tick box doubled the US maternal mortality rates.

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2024/06/29

he US has been portrayed as in the grip of a maternal mortality crisis. In contrast to most other developed nations, the rate of maternal deaths in the US has been going up since the early 2000s. But why? With the help of Saloni Dattani, a researcher at Our World in Data, Tim Harford explores how a gradual change in the way the data was gathered lies at the heart of the problem. Presenter: Tim HarfordProducer: Debbie Richford Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Series Producer: Tom

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28:29

Election claims and erection claims

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2024/06/26

Are Labour right about the Liz Truss effect on mortgages? Are the Conservatives right about pensioners? Are Plaid Cymru right about spending? Are the Lib Dems right about care funding? Is Count Binface right about croissants?Why are MRP polls coming up with such different numbers?Do erections require a litre of blood?Tim Harford investigates the numbers in the news.Presenter: Tim HarfordReporter: Kate Lamble Producers: Simon Tulett, Nathan Gower, Beth Ashmead Latham and Debbie Richford Series

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9:31

Do ‘pig butchering’ cyber scams make as much as half...

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2024/06/22

So-called “pig butchering” scams take billions of dollars from people around the globe.But do the cyber scams run from compounds in Cambodia really take an amount of money equivalent to half that country’s GDP? We investigate how the scale of these criminal operations has been calculated. Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Tom Colls Production coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Andrew Garratt Editor: Richard Vadon

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31:52

Worse mortgages, better readers, and potholes on the...

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2024/06/19

Will Conservative policies raise mortgages by £4800, as Labour claim? Are primary school kids in England the best readers in the (western) world, as the Conservatives claim? Are there more potholes in the UK than craters on the moon? Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Kate Lamble Producers: Nathan Gower, Simon Tullet Beth Ashmead-Latham and Debbie Richford Production coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard

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1,086 results

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