We read an article in The New York Times about a poll. The second paragraph read, “A majority, 57 percent, said that …”
The third paragraph included, “nearly 6 in 10 Americans said they disapproved of …”
The next sentence explained, “However, three-quarters said they approved of the …”
The article began by describing the poll results using three different methods. But we believe businesses should stay consistent and stick with one way in communicating statistics to the media. During media training, we watch clients want to share powerful statistics to help hammer home a key message. But statistics also can confuse an audience and lose significance. We understand someone may want to avoid repeatedly using the word “percentage.” But comparing, for example, 50% to 75% instead of comparing 50% to three-quarters simply seems more effective. Why force your audience to do any extra math? Keep it simple.