CASE STUDY The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) produces a report each year summarizing leading causes of death, changes in mortality over time, and other characteristics for mortality in the United States. In its March 2013 brief, “Death in the United States, 2011,’’ Figure 10.1 was included to display the top five causes of death for four age categories. A clear graphical display can make it easy for policy and decision makers to decide how to allocate resources for prevention or intervention. For instance, a quick glance at the pie chart for ages 1–24 shows that a large portion, 13% of deaths in that age range, are attributed to suicide. A clear display of this staggering number makes a strong argument for allocation of resources.

Statistics deals with data, and we use tables and graphs to present data. Tables and graphs help us see what the data say. But not all tables and graphs do so accurately or clearly. In this chapter, you will learn some basic methods for displaying data and how to assess the quality of the graphics you see in the media. By the end of the chapter, you will be able to determine whether Figure 10.1 is a good or a bad graphic.