Perception of official statistics publications in the public ?

1. Session 9: Statistical Literacy Perception of official statistics publications in the public? An international compatible example: Equal Pay Day

2. Transmission risks Journalists Even if nobody is ill-natured ..... High transmission risks Scientists Administration (Ministries) Official statistics dissemination Politicians Stakeholders What is our responsibility towards the end-user? End-user Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

3. Data / Statistical literacy • User • Preconditions for understanding • Knowledge about the topic • Knowledge about statistics • Output: Publication conditions • enough time? / space?  difficult especially in tv-news • “Make it as easy as possible but not easier!” Nils Bohr? Albert Einstein? • High competence needed • Dissemination Official Statistics • Do we presuppose to much knowledge? • Indicators … • must be understandable (GDP!?) • construct “reality” grounded on a theory  pinpoint on the scope • get a link to the cognitive structure of the user • Didactical challenge depending on the statistical literacy of the counterpart, recommendation: high scientific standards of the staff Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

4. Preconditions for understanding Dependent variable – amount of money (in a year / life span?) Independent variables – individual ones – highest examination, age, working years, regional ones, economic sector, … Classifications for education examination (ISCED), regional and economic sectors, bargaining arragements, etc. Interpretable questions: Starting out with: Do men and women earn the same amount of money? Null hypothesis (no difference), alternative hypothesis (difference) Question Scientific hypothesis Operational hypothesis Statisticalhypothesis Data retrieval Statisticalanalysis Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

5. Example - Equal Pay Day Reporting in Germany Official statistics dissemination Public perception in Germany • Gap is a result of discrimination against women • NSI-Destatisreporting 18.3.2014[1] • adjusted and unadjusted pay gap • Methodology: calculation takes individual variables into account (age, gender, working hours, branches, education, …) • press releases and methodological report (2006) • Results: • Job characteristics make the difference • Pay gap as result of discontinuity, e.g. baby leave • unadjusted gap: 22% (2010, 2012) • adjusted gap: 7% (2010) 1] https://www.destatis.de/DE/PresseService/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2014/03/PD14_104_621.html [18.5.2014] Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

6. Example - Equal Pay Day Reporting in Germany Trend-setting media: TV • ARD(public tv 21.3.2014) • Tagesschau – prime time[1]: 22 % less money than men in average – that is the reality for women in Germany. … Even if women work as much and as good as their male colleagues their payment is obviously less. • ZDF (public tv 21.3.2014) • Heute– prime time[2] : only 22% mentioned • “VolleKanne”[3] (Morning tv 9:00) – very differentiated, expert from university 1] https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video1381148.html [18.5.2014] 2] http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/2117492/Equal-Pay-Day#/beitrag/video/2117492/Equal-Pay-Day[18.5.2014] 3] http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/beitrag/video/2117564/Equal-Pay-Day-Gleiches-Geld-fuer-Frauen#/beitrag/video/2117564/Equal-Pay-Day-Gleiches-Geld-fuer-Frauen [20.5.2014] Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

7. Example - Equal Pay Day Reporting in Germany Trend-setting media – Radio • Public Radio – Bayern 5[1] • Mentioning the calculation method of the NSI • … but “discredit” the approach of the German Institute forEconomic Research DIW (“only several thousand persons taken into account”, the NSI million of persons” ) • Mixes up adjusted and unadjusted results • Public Radio – Radio Bremen[2] • Interview with Gender commissioner, quite differentiated 1] http://www.br.de/nachrichten/equal-pay-day-aktionen-2014-100.html [18.5.2014] 2] http://www.radiobremen.de/gesellschaft/themen/equalpayday120.html [20.5.2014] Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

8. Example - Equal Pay Day Reporting in Germany Trend-setting media – Newspaper • SüddeutscheZeitung[1] • Discusses NSI and DIW • Footnote: result of adjusted gap • FAZ[2] • Quotes the NSI (unadjusted) – but fragmentary – on purpose • Frankfurter Rundschau[3] • Quotes the NSI (unadjusted) – but fragmentary • Quotes Economic institutes with lower gaps • Tagesspiegel[4] • Quotes the NSI and the Institute for Employment Research IAB • Unadjusted and adjusted 1] http://www.sueddeutsche.de/karriere/equal-pay-day-tage-umsonst-1.1918514[18.5.2014] 2] http://www.faz.net/aktuell/beruf-chance/equal-pay-day-verdienstunterschied-kleiner-als-vermutet-11694273.html [18.5.2014] 3] http://www.fr-online.de/arbeit---soziales/equal-pay-day-bis-die-ungleichheit-behoben-ist,1473632,22174752.html [18.5.2014] 4] http://www.tagesspiegel.de/wirtschaft/equal-pay-day-der-kleine-unterschied/9634764.html[18.5.2014] Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

9. Example - The Equal Pay Day Reporting in Germany Parties – reported only unadjusted • SPD (Social Democratic Party; minimum wage debate) • CDU (Christian Democratic Union; minimum wage debate) • FDP (Free Democratic Party, link to NSI) • GREEN Party • The Left Party • Trade unions Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann

10. Summing up Media reports: “Equal Pay Day” • TV - fragmentary • Radio - less differentiated • Newspaper – quite differentiated Challenge for the end-user to understand • … when relying on public tv and radio NSI dissemination – recommendations (Germany) • should be the guarantor to focus the topic from all sides available (with data from official statistics)…. • more anticipation of possible usage Prof. Dr. Ulrike Rockmann