More or Less
Episodes
Predicting the Presidency
08 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Nate Silver tells us who will win the 2012 US election - and how he knows.
Plenty more fish in the sea?
01 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Only 100 cod are left in the North Sea according to newspapers. Is this the most wrong headline in More or Less history?
Factchecking America
24 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
US Presidential Election factchecked. Is Mitt Romney right to say that 47% of Americans pay no tax? And how many jobs has President Obama really creat...
Investigating crime statistics
17 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Ruth Alexander investigates Sweden's high rape rate, and finds out which countries are the surprise leaders of the world kidnap league. Plus, who went...
Where are the Paralympics Medals?
10 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Why did the USA top the gold medals league in the Olympics, but not the Paralympics? Ruth Alexander examines the performance numbers of the London 201...
How to explain infinity to a 4-year-old
03 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
‘What’s the number before infinity?’ asks Claudia, aged 4. We challenge Johnny Ball, legendary British TV presenter, to explain. And in celebrat...
Are African leaders more likely to die in office?
27 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Prime Minister of Ethiopia is the fourth African premier to die this year alone. Are African leaders more likely to die in office, than their coun...
Levelling the statistical playing field
20 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Given that some countries are richer than others, and some have larger populations, what should the Olympic medal tally really have looked like? Also:...
The great playing field sell off?
17 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Given that some countries are richer than others, and some have larger populations, what should the Olympic medal tally really have looked like? Also:...
How to lose money - fast!
13 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Last week Knight Capital lost a lot of money very quickly. It was the latest chapter in the story of something called ‘high frequency trading’. In...
How to lose money - fast!
10 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Last week Knight Capital lost a lot of money very quickly. It was the latest chapter in the story of something called ‘high frequency trading’. In...
How extraordinary is Ye Shiwen? WS
04 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
There was controversy this week after Ye Shiwen, a young Chinese swimmer, won the 400 metre individual medley in fine style. A US swimming coach calle...
How extraordinary is Ye Shiwen?
03 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
There was controversy this week after Ye Shiwen, a young Chinese swimmer, won the 400 metre individual medley in fine style. A US swimming coach calle...
Gun laws and gold medals (WS)
28 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Last week's mass-shooting at a cinema in Colorado has - not surprisingly - intensified America's bitter and long-running argument with itself about gu...
Gun laws and gold medals
27 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Last week's mass-shooting at a cinema in Colorado has - not suprisingly - intensified America's bitter and long-running argument with itself about gun...
Has clamping down on drugs made the Tour de France slower? (WS)
21 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Tour de France, we are told, has finally cleaned up its act and clamped down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs. But if it has, should we e...
Has clamping down on drugs made the Tour de France slower?
20 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Tour de France, we are told, has finally cleaned up its act and clamped down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs. But if it has, should we e...
Who are the Libor losers?
14 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
How much damage did messing with Libor really do to the financial system? And we investigate the claim made by a leading charity that a million Britis...
More or Less: Who are the Libor losers? (WS)
14 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
How much damage did messing with Libor really do to the financial system? After all, most financial trades are two way bets – and for every winner, ...
Drinks and drugs capital of the world? (WS)
06 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Do residents of the tiny micronesian island of Palau really smoke more cannabis, and drink more beer, than anyone else?
Hit movies and killer birthdays (WS)
29 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
What is the highest-earning film ever if you adjust for inflation? And are birthdays killing us?
(WS) Weight of the world
23 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
How fat could the global population become? Plus, Angela Saini considers whether statistics could settle the disputed result of the world title fight ...
(WS) Chance encounters
18 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Is the likelihood of bumping into your boss on holiday greater than you think? Angela Saini and the More or Less team assess the probabilities of some...
Interview with Daniel Kahneman
11 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford interviews Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist who won the Nobel Prize in Economics. The author of Thinking, Fast and Slow describes the commo...
Counting images of The Queen. (WS)
04 Jun 2012
Contributed by Lukas
How many images of Queen Elizabeth II have ever been created? And is Facebook really worth more than twice as much as every company on the Nigerian St...
Would firing staff 'at will' work? (R4)
28 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Is there any evidence to support the Beecroft Review's recommended changes to employment law? Plus: hard-working Greeks, infidelity, and Ben Goldacre ...
The maths of infidelity (WS)
25 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a very commonly-held belief that men are less faithful than women But it takes two to tango. So can this be mathematically possible? And we an...
Where are the world hardest workers? (WS)
21 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier in the year we found out that Greeks put in more working hours than Germans. But the Germans are more efficient. So that got us thinking: who ...
Troubled families and unneutered cats. (R4)
17 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Troubled families, nursing numbers and the mathematical consequences of unneutered cats.
Trouble on the Greek railways (WS)
14 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Would it be cheaper to send every Greek rail passenger by taxi instead? This programme was first broadcast on the BBC World Service.
Are CEOs worth it? (R4)
11 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Executive pay, chess and trouble on the Greek railway.
A grand economic experiment? (WS)
04 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Are we witnessing a grand economic experiment being played out between Europe, trying to cut its way out of trouble, and the United States, trying to ...
Austerity, border queues and bank holidays (R4)
04 May 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Are we witnessing a grand economic experiment playing out between Britain and the United States? How long have travellers been waiting to get through ...
The formula that changed the world
27 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Midas Formula - In this week's More or Less: The story of Black-Scholes, the equation that transformed Wall Street – and the arguments over whet...
The formula that changed the world
27 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Rain and drought in numbers, the formula which changed Wall Street and then the world forever - and why Conservative MPs used to be taller than their ...
20 Apr 12
20 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Is the rate of species extinction exaggerated - or even unknowable? Producer: Richard Knight This programme was first broadcast on the BBC World Servi...
20 Apr 12
20 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
We investigate the height of North Koreans, the width of police officers and rate of species extinction. Producer: Richard Knight
Eurostats - True or False?
13 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Are there really more Porsche Cayenne owners in Greece than taxpayers earning over 50,000 euros? Can there really be 30,000 chauffeur driven cars for ...
Stamp prices and the first maths book
06 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The Royal Mail says UK stamp prices are still among the best value in Europe, despite an imminent steep price rise. Tim Harford finds out whether this...
Do big football clubs win more penalties?
30 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Do Manchester United and other leading clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona benefit from biased refereeing decisions when they play in front of their ...
What is the world average salary?
23 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
If there were perfect income equality worldwide, and everybody earned the same amount of money, how much would they earn? And what is the average empl...
Red meat death risk?
16 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Eating an extra portion of red meat every day is associated with an increased risk of death, says a new study. But what does this mean? A risk expert ...
Is Apple worth more than Poland?
09 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford explains why the technology giant Apple is not bigger than Poland, as media reports have claimed. And he scrutinises the claim that the Mi...
Less than a dollar a day
02 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford assesses how global poverty is measured, as the World Bank releases the latest figures on the number of people living on less than a dolla...
Syria poll and Europe’s work hours
24 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty-five per cent of Syrians do not think their leader President Assad should resign, according to media reports of an opinion poll. It’s a striki...
Cybermetrics and Groundhog Day
17 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Can you measure your popularity – or that of anyone or anything – by the number of results that an internet search generates? Tim Harford points t...
Measuring famine
10 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
How do you measure a famine? Following the UN’s recent announcement that famine conditions have ended in Somalia, More or Less explores what the def...
More alive than dead?
03 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford investigates one of the most popular questions from More or Less listeners: “Are there more people alive today than have ever lived?” ...
Sizing up cities
27 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Which are the world’s biggest cities, and what are their populations? Two simple questions that we discover are surprisingly difficult to answer. Pl...
Climate bet; Africa Cup of Nations
20 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A four-year bet about global warming between two scientists is settled. In 2008, after there had been no new record for the global average temperature...
Chavez's cancer claims
14 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela thinks the US may have developed a secret technology to give him and other Latin American leaders cancer. He said t...
High speed rail
13 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
High Speed rail - Tim Harford speaks to railway consultant Chris Stokes and Alison Munro from HS2 Ltd. He investigates the different measures of the r...
Using statistics in court
06 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford tackles the use of statistics in court, the average rise in rail fares, infinity and resolves another marital dispute about probability.
2011 in numbers
30 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
A guide to interesting, informative or just plain idiosyncratic numbers of the year. Plus, does probability really exist? Contributors: David Spiegel...
Who are the 1% and the 99%?
23 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford on income inequality in the UK, and elsewhere. He speaks to Professor Sir Tony Atkinson of Oxford University; Stewart Lansley, author of '...
Higgs boson statistics
16 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In the week scientists at the Large Hadron Collider announced that the most coveted prize in particle physics - the Higgs boson - may have been found,...
Supermarket price wars
09 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford on National Literacy Trust figures and the maths of supermarket price wars. Plus, he continues to scrutinise the popular statistics of the...
Pensions, and the Eurozone crisis.
02 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In the week of a nationwide strike over pension changes, Tim Harford explains how the government can make public sector pensions sound generous, at th...
Brain Culture Part 3
29 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In a change to our usual format, we are podcasting Matthew Taylor's "Brain Culture" series. The former Number 10 strategy head looks at politics and m...
Brain Culture Part 2
22 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In a change to the usual format, we are podcasting Matthew Taylor's "Brain Culture" series. Matthew Taylor’s series “Brain Culture” continues. T...
Brain Culture Part 1
15 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In a change to the usual format, we are podcasting Matthew Taylor’s series “Brain Culture”. He explores how neuroscience will change society, as...
Government waste
09 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In More or Less this week: Government waste, a logic puzzle, the statistics of spying, Olympic economics and the Janitor problem.
A Euro Debt Odyssey
02 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's More or Less: a Euro debt odyssey, the placebo effect and 70 years of social surveys.
Scottish Independence
26 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's More or Less: Scottish independence, mobile phones and cancer, and is Tendulkar the greatest sportsman?
Is salt bad for you?
19 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
More or Less has the latest on salt, 'zero tolerance' policing, and how to predict the adult height of growing children.
The maths of rioting
12 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In More or Less this week: riots, debt, disability benefit and when to buy a lotto ticket.
US debt
05 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford and the More or Less team unpick more numbers in the news. This week: US debt, NHS funding and the "27 club".
Public Sector Pay
13 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Investigating the public sector pay premium, statins and the 'decline effect'.
Climate Refugees
07 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
More or Less looks at child poverty, climate refugees and Sir Henry Cooper's greatest moment.
Wedding Stats
29 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In More or Less this week: a cornucopia of wedding-related numbers. And AV explained.
How useful is GDP?
22 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford and team look at GDP, school standards and the results of 'The Other Census'.
Tuition fees
15 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford and the team examine examine tuition fees, drugs testing and inflation.
Youth Unemployment
08 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In More or Less this week: youth unemployment, Trumpton and social mobility.
Small spending cuts?
01 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford is back with a new series of More or Less, and the numbers behind the news. Are the cuts "small"? And we introduce "The Other Census".
The Story of Economics 'Monsters'
30 Mar 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In this three-part series Michael Blastland lays out the history of economic ideas to understand why economics goes wrong and whether it can ever go e...
The Story of Economics 'Cogs'
23 Mar 2011
Contributed by Lukas
'More or Less' creator Michael Blastland goes to Chicago to explore a machine-like view of the economy in the second part of 'The Story of Economics'.
The Story of Economics 'Gods'
16 Mar 2011
Contributed by Lukas
More or Less creator Michael Blastland lays out the history of economic ideas to understand why economics goes wrong and whether it can ever go entire...
Health check
21 Jan 2011
Contributed by Lukas
The Government says Britain's health care standards have fallen behind those of our European neighbours. And World Health Organisation figures support...
Street grooming
14 Jan 2011
Contributed by Lukas
We look at street grooming, examine the new bank taxes, revisit Ambridge in the wake of Loxleygate and ask just how many guys there are named Mo(hamme...
Big numbers
07 Jan 2011
Contributed by Lukas
More or Less examines this week's claims and counter-claims about VAT, exposes some seriously sloppy reporting and - finally - reveals the truth about...
2010 in numbers
31 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford and the More or Less team explore 2010 in numbers. Happy New Year to all our listeners.
What the Dickens?
24 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Boom. Bust. Bah humbug. Tim Harford narrates 'A More or Less Christmas Carol' in which British Bank plc boss Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghosts...
Council of despair
17 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Local government budgets are being cut. More or Less looks at how the pie is sliced and finds everything depends on Wokingham (yes, really). Plus: we ...
Degrees of Debt
10 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
We look at the numbers behind the increase in the cap on undergraduate tuition fees in England. Are the changes fair and progressive? Are they droppin...
Gay Britain
01 Oct 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford and the More or Less team examine the micromort measure of risk and official statistics on sexual identity.
How welfare works
24 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Harford and the More or Less team examine more numbers in the news. This week: Claiming benefits has been described by the Chancellor as - for som...
Who earns more?
17 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Who earns more: private or public employees? And are your trousers flattering you?
Back to school
10 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
More or Less looks at how maths is taught in schools today and it asks what the population of the world be if WWI had never happened.
03 Sep 2010
03 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
How reliable are life expectancy figures? Can cycling ever be safer than driving? And, what can maths tell us about guerilla insurgencies?