Statistical data is useful for making decisions.
Before entering fully into the meaning of the term statistical data, we are going to proceed to know the etymological origin of the two words that give it shape:
-Data, first of all, comes from Latin. Exactly from “datum”, which is synonymous with “data”.
-Statistics, secondly, is a word that was developed by the German economist Achenwall who created it from the German “statistik”, which, in turn, derives from Latin. Specifically, the Latin term “statisticus”, which is the result of the sum of two different parts: the noun “status”, which is synonymous with “state”, and the suffix “-icus”, which is used to indicate “relative to ”.
The term data refers to information that provides access to precise and concrete knowledge. Statistical , for its part, is that linked to statistics : the specialty of mathematics that uses figures to generate inferences or to quantitatively reflect a phenomenon.
What is statistical data
Statistical data , in this framework, are the values obtained when carrying out a statistical study. It is the product of the observation of the phenomenon that is intended to be analyzed.
Suppose a sports journalist wants to study the performance of a tennis player based on the results he achieved in the last year. During this period, the player played 15 games, of which he won 5 and lost 10 . The statistical data obtained from the observation of the matches are as follows: defeat – defeat – defeat – victory – defeat – victory – victory – defeat – defeat – defeat – defeat- defeat – victory – defeat – victory.
Statistical data processing allows generating information.
The organization and the context
To be useful, statistical data must be organized and considered in context . Returning to the previous example, said data will be valuable if it is known to which tennis player it belongs and in what period or period it was obtained by the athlete.
It is important to keep in mind that the processing of statistical data is what generates information . The data by itself, considered as something isolated, is of no interest.
Obtaining and processing statistical data are very important tasks for decision making in various areas. A government , for example, needs to have reliable statistical data to decide its economic policy.
Other characteristics of statistical data
In addition to everything stated above, there are another series of aspects that we can highlight about the statistical data, such as the following:
-They have the particularity that at all times they are subject to an interpretation, which is the one made by the person who carries them out or who uses them. In the same way, the reader of them or the listener of their presentation will also be able to make their own interpretation as well.
-They have the uniqueness that they are used on many occasions to persuade or convince. And it is more convincing to talk about 90% of the people, for example, than to say “many people.”
-It is essential that statistical data always be accompanied by the so-called margin of error or sampling error, which, it is always recommended, be as low as possible.