5 ms·

> A recent study shows that on any given day, just 12% of people in the US account for half of all beef consumed in the US. This phrasing strongly suggests it’

by jncfhnb 8mo ago

> A recent study shows that on any given day, just 12% of people in the US account for half of all beef consumed in the US. This phrasing strongly suggests it’s not the same 12% every day. In which case… it’s probably not that noteworthy.

immibis 8mo ago
is it normal, in the USA, for half of all people to only eat beef once every 8 days? They also found a demographic correlation, which isn't easily explained by random sampling.
- jncfhnb 8mo ago
  > is it normal, in the USA, for half of all people to only eat beef once every 8 days? Thats not the implication of 12% of Americans eating 50% of beef by consumed by all Americans that day. If I had to make up some numbers it’s probably that, on any random day, 12% of Americans ate 50% of the beef (a large burger), 28% of American ate the rest of the beef (bit of lunch meat), and 60% of Americans did not eat any beef.
glenstein 8mo ago
The phrasing strongly suggests exactly the opposite. Essentially, the whole framing of the linked guardian article is that there is a specific population which are the "disproportionate beef eaters".
- yxwvut 8mo ago
  And from the study linked, that framing/suggestion would be incorrect (at least for the numbers given). "the 12% are not the same every day" is an accurate interpretation. They asked about what people ate _yesterday_...
  - glenstein 8mo ago
    Again, the whole premise of the article is that there really is such a thing as disproportionate beef eaters (DBE), and it spends time talking about this group explicitly. So the wording doesn't suggest otherwise, it explicitly suggests this is a real group. Regarding the study this is a both can be true situation. There can be (1) a population who is disproportionate in their beef eating, and (2) a study about 12% doing the most on any given day can count in favor of that group being real and (3) not everyone from the daily 12% is part of the DBE group. It's more likely a venn diagram overlap, and where it doesn't overlap, people who aren't part of the DBE are incidentally in that 12% while being closer to average in the aggregate over the longer term. Those facts can all sit together comfortably without amounting to a contradiction.
    - kelipso 8mo ago
      They can both be true but 12% of people eat 50% of beef on any given day implies that way more than 12% of people eat 50% of beef on any given year. Like, it’s probably something closer to 40% than 12%.
- jncfhnb 8mo ago
  The phrasing you’re looking for is that 12% of Americans consume an average of 50% of beef consumed every day. By saying “on any given day” you are suggesting it’s a different 12%. The article does confuse this by identifying cohorts that eat more beef. But it’s a tautological label based on the survey data. They identify some correlates, like being a 50 something male. But there are males who are 50 something that don’t eat any beef. They’re not included in the 12%. The 12% is just the outcome of the sample. It doesn’t mean they’re a consistent cohort. Example: * on any given day x million women give birth * there are x million women who give birth every day

by jncfhnb 8mo ago

immibis 8mo ago

is it normal, in the USA, for half of all people to only eat beef once every 8 days? They also found a demographic correlation, which isn't easily explained by random sampling.

jncfhnb 8mo ago
> is it normal, in the USA, for half of all people to only eat beef once every 8 days? Thats not the implication of 12% of Americans eating 50% of beef by consumed by all Americans that day. If I had to make up some numbers it’s probably that, on any random day, 12% of Americans ate 50% of the beef (a large burger), 28% of American ate the rest of the beef (bit of lunch meat), and 60% of Americans did not eat any beef.

glenstein 8mo ago

The phrasing strongly suggests exactly the opposite. Essentially, the whole framing of the linked guardian article is that there is a specific population which are the "disproportionate beef eaters".

yxwvut 8mo ago
And from the study linked, that framing/suggestion would be incorrect (at least for the numbers given). "the 12% are not the same every day" is an accurate interpretation. They asked about what people ate _yesterday_...
- glenstein 8mo ago
  Again, the whole premise of the article is that there really is such a thing as disproportionate beef eaters (DBE), and it spends time talking about this group explicitly. So the wording doesn't suggest otherwise, it explicitly suggests this is a real group. Regarding the study this is a both can be true situation. There can be (1) a population who is disproportionate in their beef eating, and (2) a study about 12% doing the most on any given day can count in favor of that group being real and (3) not everyone from the daily 12% is part of the DBE group. It's more likely a venn diagram overlap, and where it doesn't overlap, people who aren't part of the DBE are incidentally in that 12% while being closer to average in the aggregate over the longer term. Those facts can all sit together comfortably without amounting to a contradiction.
  - kelipso 8mo ago
    They can both be true but 12% of people eat 50% of beef on any given day implies that way more than 12% of people eat 50% of beef on any given year. Like, it’s probably something closer to 40% than 12%.
jncfhnb 8mo ago
The phrasing you’re looking for is that 12% of Americans consume an average of 50% of beef consumed every day. By saying “on any given day” you are suggesting it’s a different 12%. The article does confuse this by identifying cohorts that eat more beef. But it’s a tautological label based on the survey data. They identify some correlates, like being a 50 something male. But there are males who are 50 something that don’t eat any beef. They’re not included in the 12%. The 12% is just the outcome of the sample. It doesn’t mean they’re a consistent cohort. Example: * on any given day x million women give birth * there are x million women who give birth every day