More or Less Podcast
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.
Episodes to download
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Are black babies in the US really more likely to die under the care of white doctors?
Sat 8 Feb 2025
How baby mortality statistics gave a misleading impression about racism in healthcare
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Are quantum computers already super-powerful?
Sat 1 Feb 2025
We investigate what a big claim about the speed of a quantum chip really means.
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Are quantum computers already super-powerful?
Sat 1 Feb 2025
We investigate what a big claim about the speed of a quantum chip really means
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Did Trump make billions with his meme-coin?
Sat 25 Jan 2025
We investigate if the US president’s crypto is really worth tens of billions of dollars.
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Did Trump make billions with his meme-coin?
Sat 25 Jan 2025
We investigate if the US president’s crypto is really worth tens of billions of dollars.
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Can redheads handle 25% more pain than brunettes?
Sat 18 Jan 2025
We investigate if people with red hair have a hidden pain-blocking superpower
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Can redheads handle 25% more pain than brunettes?
Sat 18 Jan 2025
We investigate if people with red hair have a hidden pain-blocking superpower
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Do 79% of Swedish asylum seekers go on holiday to the country they fled from?
Sat 11 Jan 2025
We investigate a refugee claim that is often being taken out of context.
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Do 79% of Swedish asylum seekers go on holiday to the country they fled from?
Sat 11 Jan 2025
We investigate a refugee claim that is often being taken out of context.
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How many Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’?
Sat 14 Dec 2024
How many Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’?
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How many Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’?
Sat 14 Dec 2024
How many Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’?
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Did one in 10 Greeks die in World War Two?
Sat 7 Dec 2024
We investigate if 10 percent of the Greek population died during the second world war
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Did one in 10 Greeks die in World War Two?
Sat 7 Dec 2024
We investigate if 10 percent of the Greek population died during the second world war
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Can Elon Musk save the US Government $2 trillion?
Sat 30 Nov 2024
We look at whether DOGE can successfully balance the US budget.
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Can Elon Musk save the US Government $2 trillion?
Sat 30 Nov 2024
We look at whether DOGE can successfully balance the US budget.
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Do fossil fuels get $7 trillion in subsidies?
Sat 23 Nov 2024
We investigate a huge estimate for how much governments pay to support coal, gas and oil
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Do fossil fuels get $7 trillion in subsidies?
Sat 23 Nov 2024
We investigate a huge estimate for how much governments pay to support coal, gas and oil
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Did 20 million votes really go missing in the US election?
Sat 16 Nov 2024
We investigate a viral graph that suggests turnout was drastically lower than in 2020
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Did 20 million votes really go missing in the US election?
Sat 16 Nov 2024
We investigate a viral graph that suggests turnout was drastically lower than in 2020
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Do we have enough clothes for the next six generations?
Sat 9 Nov 2024
We delve into the stats on the scale of the fashion industry
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Do we have enough clothes for the next six generations?
Sat 9 Nov 2024
We delve into the stats on the scale of the fashion industry
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What can economics learn from sport?
Sat 2 Nov 2024
From loss aversion to game theory, how sports provide evidence for economic theories
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What can economics learn from sport?
Sat 2 Nov 2024
From loss aversion to game theory, how sports provide evidence for economic theories
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Are older drivers more dangerous?
Wed 30 Oct 2024
Plus, winter fuel deaths, prison sentence maths and leaves on railway tracks.
Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU
Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.
When can you trust statistics?
BBC Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.
