Proposal Description

In 1951, Samuel S. Wilks paraphrased Herbert G. Wells from his book Mankind in the Making (1903) as follows: “Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship as the ability to read and write”. Since that time, the world has witnessed phenomenal advancement in terms of generation and accumulation of data. However, a lot still needs to be done in order to achieve a statistically literate society.
The session is organized by the ISLP (International Statistical Literacy Project) the main objective of which is to contribute to promoting statistical literacy across the world, among young and adults, in all walks of life. The past two decades have witnessed a large number of initiatives taken by ISLP for the promotion of statistical literacy worldwide, and it has more than 150 country coordinators in all continents.
This session will present various perspectives to statistical literacy: the decision-maker's, general public’s and educator’s and will draw attention to various perspectives with reference to the importance of statistical literacy, and to the best practices and approaches to statistical literacy that have been implemented in various parts of the world. The session will showcase the successes that have been achieved through a spirit of collaboration and enthusiasm.
With reference to two of the strategic goals of the ISI i.e. to increase statistical literacy and to increase public understanding of statistics, one of the talks will explicate that these goals can be progressed through two lenses, the ISLP and the ISI Public Voice Consortium which is endeavoring to increase the visibility and influence of statisticians in society and to promote the value of statistics to the wider community. The talk will also view statistical literacy through a third lens, collaborative work with Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) communities in Queensland, Australia, and will discuss the importance of co-design and collaboration in enhancing statistical literacy.
The session will also focus on the impact of statistical literacy on development processes, emphasizing that statistical literacy is essential for creating data demand and use especially for policy, planning and decision-making all the more important in a data-driven world. Since statistical literacy rates in Africa and in some other developing regions remain low, the discussion will throw light on current efforts and what more could be done to boost statistical literacy in Africa and to enhance the impact of data on development processes.
Global institutions and projects, such as the ISLP, have great potential to act as a platform where experiences and practices can be shared, efforts joint and leveraged. The session will therefore include a discussion regarding the ISLP International Poster Competition which is gaining growing importance over the years as it helps students to learn the basis of statistical thinking.
The session will thus shed light on statistical literacy promotion, and its importance, from different perspectives. Statistics bring clarity and transparency to the entire society’s actions. In order for statistics to be made use of, statistical literacy is needed everywhere, from citizens to decision-makers.