Monday, May 12, 2014

"Regression analysis is more art than science" [1]

Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner showed us in Freakonomics how the world of correlation and regression can show curious links between seemingly unrelated subject matter - culminating in a thesis relating legalization of abortion and crime rates in the United States.

Here is another view - Correlation can yield absolutely absurd results...
My favorite is "Divorce Rates in Maine" against "Consumption of Margarine in the US"

As Twain said, "There are lies, and then there are statistics"...

[1] Steven Levitt