
Politicians Manipulating Statistics
How They Do It and How to Oppose Them
Cambridge University Press
Published on 3. April 2025
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-1-009-48813-6 (ISBN)
Description
Highly original and insightful, Billig and Marinho's book investigates how politicians misuse official statistics. Setting this problem in its historical context - and offering vivid case studies of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Gerald Darmanin - the authors demonstrate that the manipulation of statistics involves the misuse of words as well as the misuse of numbers. Most importantly, the authors show that politicians will manipulate official statisticians to produce politically convenient, but statistically inappropriate, numbers. Another unique part of the book is that the authors are not content with analysing how statistics are manipulated, but they also rigorously analyse the efforts of statistical agencies in France and Britain to combat such manipulation. The chapters herald unsung heroes who operate largely 'behind the scenes' to expose and oppose the corruption of statistics. An indispensable read for anyone concerned with the intersection of power and data.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-48813-6 (9781009488136)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Michael Billig | Cristina Marinho
Politicians Manipulating Statistics
How They Do It and How to Oppose Them
Book
04/2025
Cambridge University Press
€38.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Michael Billig is Emeritus Professor at Loughborough University. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and received the British Psychological Society's 2023 award for Lifetime Achievement. Cristina Marinho is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh. Together with Michael Billig, she is the author of The Politics and Rhetoric of Commemoration (2017).
Content
Acknowledgements, List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The rise of statistics; 3. Different ways of manipulating; 4. Donald trump: master manipulator; 5. Manipulating statistics and statisticians; 6. Establishing a statistical authority in Britain; 7. Establishing a statistical authority in France; 8. Gerald Darmanin: populism against statistics; 9. Boris Johnson: untruthful words and numbers; 10. How a manipulated covid target was exposed; 11. Final comments; Notes; Index.