Podcast Episodes

How effective is one dose of the vaccine?

A lot has changed since More or Less was last on air. We give you a statistical picture of the second wave: how bad is it, and is there hope? The new vaccine regime is to delay the booster shot of th…

Published on 4 years, 11 months ago

Ants and Algorithms

What can ants tells us about whether something deserves to be popular? This is a question tackled in David Sumpter’s book – ‘The Ten Equations that Rule the World: And How You Can Use Them Too.’ He t…

Published on 4 years, 11 months ago

Numbers of the year: Part two

From the economic impact of Covid 19 to the number of people who have access to soap and water, we showcase figures that tell us something about 2020. Tim Harford asks a group of numbers-minded peopl…

Published on 4 years, 11 months ago

Numbers of the year: Part one

Tim Harford asks a group of numbers-minded people to take a look back on the year and think of one statistic that really stands out for them. From the spread of Covid-19 to the number of songs added …

Published on 4 years, 11 months ago

The economics of a Covid Christmas

Tim Harford asks economist Joel Waldfogel how Covid 19 could affect spending at Christmas this year. They discuss the usual bump in sales and gift giving. The author of ‘Scroogenomics’ usually argues…

Published on 5 years ago

QAnon: Child runaways and trafficking numbers debunked

Tim Harford looks at false statistical claims online about missing and trafficked children in the US. These numbers have resurfaced online in part due to conspiracy theorists following QAnon. In the …

Published on 5 years ago

Vaccines: how safe and who gets it?

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the use of a vaccine for Covid 19. But some people are worried that the decision was taken too quickly - can we really know it’s safe yet? …

Published on 5 years ago

Tracking Covid 19

This year has shown us the importance of good robust data - as Covid-19 spread around the world it was vital to track where it was, how many people it was infecting and where it might go next. On Mor…

Published on 5 years, 1 month ago

Inviting Covid for Dinner

If you go to a gathering of 25 or more people, what are the chances one of you has coronavirus?

Imagine that you’re planning to hold some sort of gathering or dinner at your home. Take your pick of bi…

Published on 5 years, 1 month ago

Vaccine numbers

A vaccine which has shown in a clinical trial to be 90% effective against Covid 19 has been widely welcomed. But what does it mean and how was it worked out? Although experts and politicians urge cau…

Published on 5 years, 1 month ago