Discuss: Module 6 - Stats in Action! How Data Improve Society & Inform Policy

Selected Story : Metropolitan Social Services Uses ACS Data to Understand and Support Older Residents in Need (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/acs-data-stories/mss-nashville.html)

Discussion Prompt Instructions: As we begin learning about inferential testing, we will see how individuals, agencies, and organizations employ these strategies in making statistically-informed decisions. We'll start by visiting the U.S. Census Bureau's "ACS Data Stories - Stats in Action!" website. It contains a list of stories describing how the American Community Survey (ACS) data is being applied in diverse settings. Each story highlights how people have taken the same data available to you and applied the same statistical analyses you're learning about to address real world problems and generate data-driven solutions.

Using the selected story, summarize the story you read. Describe how the data were used to address a need. Be specific about variables analyzed and analysis performed but focus on the application of the findings to inform problem solving. Finally, in closing, reflect on the quote by Carly Fiorina that we read in the Module Introduction, "The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight." What role do data and statistics play in solving societal problems? Are there ways you could be using the data analysis skills you're learning to improve your own personal decision making?