Rethinking data analysis - part two: some alternatives to frequentist approaches

In ‘Rethinking data analysis – part one: the limitations of frequentist approaches’ (Kent 2009) it was argued that standard, frequentist statistics were developed for purposes entirely other than for the analysis of survey data; when applied in this context, the assumptions being made and the limitations of the statistical procedures are commonly ignored.

Rethinking data analysis – part two: some alternatives to frequentist approaches1

Ray KentUniversity of Stirling

BAYESIAN STATISTICS

The goal of any science is to make predictions, but these can be of various kinds. A forecast, which is usually short term, is a prediction of events in a system that is not amenable to manipulation or intervention like a weather forecast. A prediction might be of the outcome, or likely outcome, of a deliberate act or intervention, like the effect on sales of a manufacturer's decision to raise prices. The prediction might be hypothetical – for example, of the...

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands