More or Less Podcast
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life
Episodes to download
-
![]()
Does the Russian government really spend 40% of its budget on the military?
Sat 16 Mar 2024
We investigate how much the Russian state is spending on the war in Ukraine
-
![]()
Is public speaking really our biggest fear?
Sat 9 Mar 2024
Tim Harford investigates the claim that public speaking is people鈥檚 number one fear.
-
![]()
Ultramarathons: Are women faster than men?
Sat 2 Mar 2024
Is it really true that in extremely long races, women run faster than men?
-
![]()
NBA basketball: Is height more important than skill?
Sat 24 Feb 2024
How much does a man鈥檚 height affect his chances of becoming an NBA basketball player?
-
![]()
The digital 鈥榬obots鈥� unlocking medical data
Sat 17 Feb 2024
Ben Goldacre on OpenSAFELY, protecting patient privacy while analysing health data
-
![]()
The global gender split in young people鈥檚 politics
Sat 10 Feb 2024
Tim Harford investigates the growing political divergence between young men and women.
-
![]()
A pocket-size history of the calculator
Sat 3 Feb 2024
Tim Harford explores the history of calculators from clockwork to the Kashio brothers
-
![]()
Is Oxfam right about the world鈥檚 richest and poorest people?
Sat 27 Jan 2024
We investigate how Oxfam use wealth stats to illustrate global inequality
-
![]()
Are there more possible games of chess than atoms in the universe?
Sat 20 Jan 2024
We investigate how the vast possibilities in chess compare to the vastness of the universe
-
![]()
Do we see 10,000 adverts per day?
Sat 13 Jan 2024
We investigate the claim that each of us sees thousands of adverts every single day
-
![]()
How much money do the 鈥楴drangheta mafia make?
Sat 6 Jan 2024
We investigate whether one criminal group could have a turnover of billions of dollars
-
![]()
Numbers of the year 2023
Sat 30 Dec 2023
Hand-picked stats that tell you something interesting about the world
-
![]()
Can chocolate be better than salad?
Sat 23 Dec 2023
We investigate a nutritional conundrum 鈥� can chocolate ever be better for you than salad?
-
![]()
China鈥檚 missing numbers
Sat 16 Dec 2023
How the Chinese state make inconvenient statistics disappear
-
![]()
Does endurance sport harm your heart?
Sat 9 Dec 2023
We investigate the connection between high levels of exercise and arrhythmia
-
![]()
Will there be a billion climate refugees?
Sat 2 Dec 2023
We investigate if floods, droughts and storms will cause mass international migration
-
![]()
A boy meets girl meets stats story
Sat 25 Nov 2023
A data scientist takes on rom com films to see how women in STEM are represented
-
![]()
Are women in the UK the biggest binge drinkers in the world?
Sat 18 Nov 2023
Checking out stats on boozing Brits and fishing fleets in the South China Sea.
-
![]()
Can maths prove the existence of aliens?
Sat 11 Nov 2023
We look a famous equation which tries to explain whether life exists in outer space
-
![]()
Do Indian women own 11% of the world鈥檚 gold?
Sat 4 Nov 2023
The cultural importance of gold is well known 鈥� but how much do Indians actually own?
-
![]()
The overlooked mathematicians of history
Sat 28 Oct 2023
A global history of mathematics, from ancient China to the Middle East
-
![]()
What do windscreen splats tell us about insect decline?
Sat 21 Oct 2023
We ask whether the 鈥榳indscreen phenomenon鈥� suggests falling numbers of insects
-
![]()
Greedy jobs and the gender pay gap
Sat 14 Oct 2023
Tim Harford discusses the work of Nobel Economics prize winner Claudia Goldin
-
![]()
Are half the words in English from French?
Sat 7 Oct 2023
We ask whether almost half the words in the English language are of French origin.
-
![]()
Is the UK really ahead in cutting carbon emissions?
Sat 30 Sep 2023
As the UK changes course in its path to net zero, how does it compare with other nations?
-
![]()
Which city has the longest canals?
Sat 23 Sep 2023
We dive into the world of waterways after a listener asked who has the longest canals.
-
![]()
How to approach the world through numbers
Sat 16 Sep 2023
Professor David Sumpter talks to Tim Harford about his new book
-
![]()
Did 35,000 Americans die building the Panama Canal?
Sat 9 Sep 2023
We fact check a claim made by Donald Trump about the world famous canal
-
![]()
What percentage of our brain do we actually use?
Sat 2 Sep 2023
Do we have access to some or all of our brain-power?
-
![]()
How safe is the release of Fukushima nuclear plant water?
Sat 26 Aug 2023
We ask whether there are any risks posed by the release into the Pacific Ocean
Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU
Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.
When can you trust statistics?
91福利社 Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.
