Before entering fully into the meaning of the term statistical data we will proceed to know the etymological origin of the two words that give shape:
-Data, first of all, comes from Latin. Exactly “datum”, which is synonymous with “data”.
-Statistics, secondly, is a word that was developed by the German economist Achenwall that created it from the German “statistik”, which, in turn, derives from Latin. Specifically the Latin term “statisticus”, which is the result of the sum of two distinct parts: the noun “status”, which is synonymous with “state”, and the suffix “-icus”, which is used to indicate “relative to”.
The term data refers to information that provides access to accurate and concrete knowledge. Statistical, for its part, is that linked to statistics: the specialty of mathematics that appeals to figures to generate inferences or to quantitatively reflect a phenomenon.
Statistical data, in this context, are the values that are obtained when carrying out a statistical study. This is the product of the observation of that phenomenon that is intended to be analysed.
Suppose a sports journalist wants to study a tennis player’s performance based on the results he achieved in the last year. In that period, the player played 15 matches, of which he won 5 and lost 10. The statistical data obtained from the observation of the matches are as follows: defeat – defeat – defeat – victory – defeat – victory – victory – victory – defeat – defeat – defeat – defeat – defeat – victory – victory – defeat – victory.
To be useful, statistical data must be organized and considered from a context. Taking up the example above, such data will be valuable if you know which tennis player they belong to and in what period or period they were obtained by the athlete.
It is important to note that the processing of statistical data is what generates information. The data itself, regarded as isolated, is of no interest.
Obtaining and processing statistical data are very important tasks for decision-making in various fields. A government, for example, needs reliable statistical data to decide its economic policy.
In addition to all the above, there are other aspects that we can highlight about statistical data such as the following:
-They have the particularity that at all times they are subject to an interpretation, which is the one made by the person who carries them out or who uses them. Likewise, the reader of them or the listener of the presentation of them will also be able to perform their own interpretation as well.
-They have the uniqueness that they are often used to persuade or convince. And it’s more convincing to talk about 90% of people, for example, than to say “many people.”
-Statistical data is essential that they are always accompanied by the so-called margin of error or sample error that, always, it is advisable to be as low as possible.