Do You Use Facts or Anecdotes to Make Decisions?

If you engage in civic discourse—and chances are, as a Countable user, you do more than most—you are well aware that people can be deeply, emotionally attached to their beliefs and positions. People can often seem impervious to evidence. Indeed, many of the logical fallacies that so plague public debate are grounded in a lack of sound facts and information.

We are all susceptible to this. We hear a story from our neighbor, or father, or trusted confidant, and we give it undue weight in forming our opinions. Fortunately, we also have the tools available to us to track down the hard facts and evaluate them when forming our positions.

Our partners over at USAFacts work tirelessly to crunch shocking quantities of government data into a form that all of us can use. They don’t edit or manipulate the data in any way. They just hand over the facts, leaving us to decide what to make of the information. You might be surprised at what you find. For instance:

• Violent crime has dropped dramatically since 1980.
• The official poverty rate is roughly the same today as it was in 1980.
• Spending on healthcare in the United States has increased 56 percent since 2000.
• More working-age people have jobs today than in 1980, with the most significant growth in low-wage jobs.
• Since 1980, the government has spent more money than it receives in all but six years. Current government debt stands at $16.6 trillion, more than 17 times what it was in 1980, not accounting for inflation.

Hungry for more facts to inform your opinions and decisions? Check out USAFacts’ 2018 Annual Report, chock full of information about our country and society, all gleaned from cold, hard government data.

What do you think?

Have you changed a firmly held position when presented with new information? What process do you use in forming your beliefs and making decisions? Share your thoughts below.

—Sara E. Murphy

(Photo Credit: Charly W. Karl)