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Artwork for Stats + Stories
Statistics
Climate Change
Education
Data Science
Covid-19
Data Communication
Ethics
Human Trafficking
Gene Therapy
Storytelling
Carbon Dioxide
Sex Trafficking
Data Analytics
University Of Virginia
American Statistical Association
Well-Being
Global Population Growth
Data Visualization
University Of Alabama
1918 Flu Pandemic

Statistics need Stories to give them meaning. Stories need Statistics to give them credibility. Every Thursday John Bailer & Rosemary Pennington get together with a new, interesting guest to bring you the Statistics behind the Stories and the Stories behind the Statistics.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes431Founded12 years ago
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Education

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Artwork for Stats + Stories

Latest Episodes

The work of suffragettes in both the United Kingdom and the United States has been immortalized in textbooks, as well as in movies and TV. The women activists who helped women gain the right to vote are often portrayed as heroes and radicals. What's ... more

In early January 2026, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced changes to the childhood immunization schedules, reducing the number of vaccines recommended for children. This change led to the U.S. being an outlier in terms of r... more

Three hundred and thirty-two days, that was the international statistic of the year in 2020, as identified by the Royal Statistical Society. That was the length of time between scientists publishing the genetic sequence of COVID-19 on the 11th of Jan... more

According to the World Bank, some 3.5 billion people live on less than $7 a day. That's more than 40% of the global population. Almost 700 million of those individuals live in extreme poverty, getting by on less than $2.15 a day. In the US in 2024, a... more

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Recent Guests

Jeffrey Morris
Dr. Jeffrey Morris, George S. Pepper Professor of Public Health and Preventative Medicine; Director, Biostatistics Division, UPenn
University of Pennsylvania (Perelman School of Medicine) / Annenberg Public Policy Center
Episode: Countering Vaccine Skepticism | Stats + Stories Episode 383 Pt. 2
David Johnson
Executive Director of the International Association for Research in Income and Wealth
Episode: Measuring Poverty | Stats + Stories Episode 382
Lloyd Edwards
Chair of Biostatistics at the University of Alabama Birmingham's School of Public Health
University of Alabama Birmingham
Episode: Tracking Health Over Time | Stats + Stories Episode 85 (REPOST)
Ashley Mullan
PhD student and research assistant at Vanderbilt University focusing on biostatistics, and pop culture analysis
Vanderbilt University
Episode: The Classic “Will They, or Won’t They?” and the Kiss Effect | Stats + Stories Episode 381
Peter Guttorp
Professor Emeritus of Statistics at the University of Washington and Co-Director of the Research Network on Statistical Methods for Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences (STATMOS)
University of Washington
Episode: Protecting Seaside Cities from Possible Future Impacts of Climate Change | Stats + Stories Episode 53 (REPOST)
Xiao Hui Tai
Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of California Davis researching public health impacts of violent conflict.
University of California Davis
Episode: Counting Costs of Conflict | Stats + Stories Episode 380
Dr. Helaine Alessio
Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health at Miami University
Miami University
Episode: Health Benefits of Riding an Electric Bike | Stats + Short Stories Episode 319 (REPOST)
Chris Dalla Riva
Senior Product Manager at Audiomack, focusing on data analytics and personalization.
Audiomack
Episode: Hit Songs by the Numbers & What They Reveal About Us | Stats + Stories Episode 379
David Corliss
Founder and director of Peace Work, focusing on humanitarian data applications
Peace Work
Episode: Data for Good | Stats + Stories Episode 378

Hosts

Rosemary Pennington
Co-host, who contributes from a background in statistics and media, engages in discussions that bring together academic insights and practical applications of statistical methodologies.
John Bailer
Co-host and Emeritus Professor of Statistics, known for his insights into statistical analysis and its applications across various domains, enhancing the educational value of the episodes.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 77 ratings
  • Excellent show

    One of my favourite podcasts. Brilliant content, great hosts, easy listening, great interview format. Thank you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    sophie.i.d
    Australia4 years ago
  • Thanks for this effort

    It is a such good podcast

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    medo1029
    Saudi Arabia6 years ago
  • Best way to learn about and appreciate quantitative thinking

    I found this podcast while enrolled in a beginning quantitative methods course. It has been so incredibly helpful (and inspiring!) to hear the interviews from statisticians and researchers who work with data, and put it into the context of the stories they're trying to understand. The interviews are interesting and entertaining, and helpfully put all of these concepts that I've been abstractly learning about into practical realities.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    KAyflew
    United States8 years ago
  • Listener

    I just listened to Episode 48: "Were the cancer clusters real? Statistical support for evaluating public policy" with guest David Banks - interesting topic & knowledgable guest. This episode highlighted how Statisticians can help make the world a better place when they work together with Journalists/the Media. I'm still a bit crushed by what I learned about Gregor Mendel, though.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    OxfordListener
    United States8 years ago
  • Great Podcast!

    Statistics affect our lives in so many ways but most people are not aware of it. Understanding how statistics relate to my everyday life makes this a really interesting podcast! Give it a listen!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Midwest_Surf_Guy
    United States9 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The diverse range of topics covered keeps the audience engaged and showcases the real-world relevance of statistics, making it both entertaining and educational.
Reviewers frequently mention the accessibility of complex statistical concepts, appreciating how they are framed within relatable stories.
Listeners praise the show for its brilliant content and engaging hosts, often highlighting the informative nature of the discussions.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Countering Vaccine Skepticism | Stats + Stories Episode 383 Pt. 2
Q: With all of these systems in place, how can there be such a strong assertion that vaccines are unsafe and linked to diseases like autism or other serious effects?
The assertion often hinges on cherry-picking papers that suggested connections without acknowledging higher-quality studies, and on misinterpreting the limitations of individual studies. A robust safety assessment requires looking at the totality of evidence across multiple study designs, including observational data, clinical trials, and safety monitoring systems, rather than relying on any single piece of research.
Countering Vaccine Skepticism | Stats + Stories Episode 383 Pt. 1
Q: What are common misinterpretations of vaccine data you've seen, and how do you counter them?
Morris details base-rate fallacies and age confounding as frequent issues, illustrating with examples where naive readings suggested worse outcomes for vaccinated groups, when proper stratification shows substantial risk reductions.
Countering Vaccine Skepticism | Stats + Stories Episode 383 Pt. 1
Q: Why was the vaccine development timeline compressed, and how were steps overlapped?
He describes the urgency of the pandemic driving faster progress, but emphasizes that standard steps were not skipped—phases overlapped and manufacturing started earlier to enable rapid deployment, all within rigorous oversight.
Countering Vaccine Skepticism | Stats + Stories Episode 383 Pt. 1
Q: How did you first get involved in studying vaccines?
Morris explains that his pivot to vaccine work came from the pandemic; his background in cancer research and biostatistics led him to engage in scientific communication as data and questions about vaccines surged, with a shift toward explaining data to the public.
Tracking Health Over Time | Stats + Stories Episode 85 (REPOST)
Q: What advice would you have for a reporter to communicate the complexity of health data concisely?
Work with experts to get a simplified summary in layman's terms instead of complex technical language.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Stats + Stories

What is Stats + Stories about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A captivating exploration of the intersection between statistics and storytelling, this podcast emphasizes how statistics provide credibility to narratives, while stories enrich statistics with context and meaning. Each episode features discussions with experts from various fields, delving into topics such as health metrics, biostatistics, digital marketing, social issues, and more, offering listeners unique insights into the practical applications of statistics in everyday life. Noteworthy is the range of guests, from academics and industry professionals to engaged scholars, resulting in a diverse mix of viewpoints and case studies that illuminate the role of quantitative thinking in understanding complex issues.

Listeners can expect a bl... more

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1. Hidden Brain
2. The Best of Car Talk
3. Radio Atlantic
4. the memory palace
5. On the Media

How many episodes of Stats + Stories are there?

Stats + Stories launched 12 years ago and published 431 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Stats + Stories?

Recent guests on Stats + Stories include:

1. Jeffrey Morris
2. David Johnson
3. Lloyd Edwards
4. Ashley Mullan
5. Peter Guttorp
6. Xiao Hui Tai
7. Dr. Helaine Alessio
8. Chris Dalla Riva

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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