The Perils of Perception
Why We're Wrong About Nearly Everything
Published on 6. September 2018
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-78649-456-6 (ISBN)
Description
New Statesman's Best Books of 2018
'Mandatory reading' Steven Pinker
Do you eat too much sugar? What proportion of your country are immigrants? What does it cost to raise a child? How much tax do the rich pay? Are we more ignorant than we used to be?
Take a minute to answer these questions. No matter how educated you are, this book suggests you are likely to be very wrong indeed. Informed by exclusive research across 40 countries, conducted by global polling firm Ipsos, The Perils of Perception investigates why we don't know basic facts about the world around us.
Using the latest research into the media and decision science, Bobby Duffy asks how we can address our ignorance and why the populations of some countries seem better informed than others. Essential reading in the so-called 'post-truth' era, this book will transform the way you engage with the world.
'Mandatory reading' Steven Pinker
Do you eat too much sugar? What proportion of your country are immigrants? What does it cost to raise a child? How much tax do the rich pay? Are we more ignorant than we used to be?
Take a minute to answer these questions. No matter how educated you are, this book suggests you are likely to be very wrong indeed. Informed by exclusive research across 40 countries, conducted by global polling firm Ipsos, The Perils of Perception investigates why we don't know basic facts about the world around us.
Using the latest research into the media and decision science, Bobby Duffy asks how we can address our ignorance and why the populations of some countries seem better informed than others. Essential reading in the so-called 'post-truth' era, this book will transform the way you engage with the world.
Reviews / Votes
Mandatory reading. This mind-altering book show how most of us are badly deluded about the state of the world. * Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now * Illuminating and important. Duffy has spent a decade finding the gaps between our perceptions and reality. The result is this fascinating study. * Dan Gardner - co-author of Superforecasting * A superb and timely analysis of a genuine and growing threat to democratic debate. * Alastair Campbell - author and former Downing Street Press Secretary * Simply indispensable. Marrying fascinating data with superb analysis, this is a unique book. * Matthew d'Ancona, Editor-in-Chief, Drugstore Culture, and author of Post-Truth * A tour-de-force. Required reading for all engaged citizens of the world. * Dame Louise Casey - former senior British government official and former Deputy Director of Shelter * A masterful overview of how our perceptions are repeatedly off the mark. Consequential and timely. * David Halpern - Chief Executive of the Behavioural Insights Team * Interesting and well-informed. An invaluable guide. Duffy is a voice of calm reason amidst all our anxieties about a post-truth world. -- Lord David Willetts, former Conservative Party MP - Executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation A great read that will help you get a better fix on reality. This book will help you understand why many of the things you think are probably wrong. * Hetan Shah, Executive Director, The Royal Statistical Society * Fantastic: there are eye-opening and shocking statistics on every page. Perils of Perception may force you to reconsider your most deeply held views. * Jamie Bartlett - author of The People Vs Tech * Fascinating -- Nick Butler * Financial Times * Illuminating. Like stepping from the shadows into the light, this book will help you see the world anew. * Julia Gillard - Former Prime Minister of Australia * A first-class book with hugely important and relevant analysis. Incredibly well-written and easy to read. * Margaret Hodge - former Chair of the Public Accounts Committee * A refreshingly calm look at the facts behind today's fevered debates. * Reader's Digest *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 206 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
470 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78649-456-6 (9781786494566)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Bobby Duffy is Managing Director of the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute and Global Director of Ipsos Social Research Institute. Previously he has been seconded to the British Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and to the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the London School of Economics. Following publication of the book, he will take up the position of Director of The Policy Institute at King's College London.
Content
1: A Healthy Mind 2: Sexual Fantasies 3: On the Money? 4: Inside and Out: Immigration and Religion 5: Safe and Secure 6: Political Misdirection and Disengagement 7: Brexit and Trump: Wishful and Wrongful Thinking 8: Filtering Our Worlds 9: Worldwide Worry 10: Who's Most Wrong? 11: Managing Our Misperceptions 12: Acknowledgements 13: Notes 14: Index