82% People Who Love Statistics Still Hate Math

Cumberland, MD

Standing in line in a grocery store, hidden cameras, the unbiased, candid data collectors took stock of over 10,000 samples in just one week of people who bought groceries. This sample pool is considered practically on par with knocking on doors and having everyone open up. The amazing thing was, of the 10,000 people who bought groceries in this town, 89% were interested in the statistics shown on the magazines in the queue. What is more, 65% of them read articles with statistics in the title, and a whopping 77% read articles full of statistics. But do they love math?

Unfortunately, no. People only love math secretly. When you call it statistics. Of the 8,900 people who read statistics-based articles while waiting to be charged for their groceries, 82% would flip the page if the article was about mathematics. When scandalous, celebrity-based, and/or health and fitness magazines were placed strategically next to Mathematics and Science magazines, the same 82% of people would not offer more than a glance at the cover of the magazine. During excessive waiting times in line, 100/100 patrons would move the mathematics magazines to check behind for more saucy morsels with statistics.

So what does this teach our math teachers? Use a 100% different vehicle to engage your students with the mathematics!