The Supermarket Effect
More or Less
BBC
4.6 • 3.7K Ratings
🗓️ 29 July 2016
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Many news outlets have reported this week that a Waitrose supermarket pushes up house prices in the surrounding area. It’s based on research that also suggests that other supermarkets have a similar but smaller effect. We take a highly sceptical look at the correlation.
Statistics and the EU referendum campaign We look at how the two campaigns, the media, and the much-discussed “experts” used statistics during the EU referendum campaign. Tim Harford interviews Will Moy, director of Fullfact, and Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Antiques Roadshow BBC One’s Antiques Roadshow is a hugely popular television programme, where experts examine and value antiques and collectables. We ask whether the items featured really jump in value, or are we just seeing the price tag rise over the centuries in line with inflation? More Or Less reporter Charlotte McDonald heads down to the show to find out.
Computer Science and Socks Tim Harford speaks to Brian Christian, co-author of ‘Algorithms to Live by: The Computer Science of Human Decisions’. How can the techniques of computer science help us in every-day situations? And, most importantly, which algorithm will help our reporter Jordan Dunbar sort out his socks?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, this is Tim Harford, and a brand new series of more or less begins right now. |
| 0:05.0 | This is the first in the series, and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Friday the 29th of July. |
| 0:12.1 | Hello and welcome to more or less, your ever cheerful guide to the numbers all around us in the news and in life. |
| 0:19.0 | I'm Tim Harford and on this week's programme we'll talk to two leading experts about how statistics were used and abused in the referendum campaign, |
| 0:28.0 | assuming that is you haven't had enough of experts. |
| 0:31.0 | We'll also look sceptically at exciting valuations from Antiques Roadshow. |
| 0:36.4 | And we unveil a new feature, the more or less desk of good news. |
| 0:40.9 | Goodness knows we need it. |
| 0:43.0 | And we will unleash the forces of computer science to help our reporter Jordan Dunbar |
| 0:48.0 | sort out his sock draw. |
| 0:50.0 | First of all, let's get rid of the underpants. |
| 0:52.0 | They are unnecessary to this experiment. |
| 0:54.0 | Goodbye. But first a listener contacted us this week about the following story. |
| 0:59.0 | Homes near Waitros will fetch a supermarket price. |
| 1:03.2 | How a waitros adds 40,000 pounds to nearby home? |
| 1:07.0 | Living near waitros could add 38,66 pounds for your house price. |
| 1:12.0 | Living close to weightros adds nearly 40,000 pounds to the value of your house. |
| 1:16.5 | Trolley lolly for homes. |
| 1:18.4 | Stop, this sounds very suspicious. |
| 1:21.7 | Here to explain all is Simon Mabin. |
| 1:24.0 | You might, like loyal listener Ruth Levy, who emailed more or less at BBC.k. |
| 1:30.0 | UK, have spotted this story in the Times. |
... |
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