Nowadays, we choose to believe more in information that conform to our worldview, even if it’s inaccurate or misleading—it’s just how our psychological core is hardwired (Svoboda, 2017). So, if someone tells you first the Philippines is the 2nd happiest country in Southeast Asia (WHR, 2022), then you would second guess after finding out the poverty rate has risen to over 26 million in the same country (PSA, 2021). Today it’s easy to disguise a subjective position as an objective fact especially in politics. With its attractive predictive ability, statistics has long been used in data presentation. But with people resisting facts to support their preconceived notions, it often falls flat from its purpose. One formula to avoid this is by turning our statistics STAT—simple, trusted, apprehensible and tactful—to suppress the Filipino’s refusal to acknowledge statistical realities:

Simple

                    In this generation everything is needed in a snap. May it be thirty second Tiktoks that encapsulate entire gossips or a swipe to seek a potential partner, time has become a luxury that we demand everything quick and easy—even information. And there’s no better way to summarize than numbers. Instead of elaborating the nitty gritty stuff like the complex math and programs used to crunch out the numbers, we opt saying 8 out of 10 Filipinos do not have a dream (Dream Project, 2019), there are 67 million registered Filipino voters (COMELEC), or we hope to increase the 75% voter turnout last elections (PNA, 2019). Simplicity makes everything more memorable, but sometimes simple models can’t always accommodate important intricacies which only makes this the first step

Trusted

                    To enhance public trust on our statistics, trust in the authorities and experts is imperative. Filipinos have faith in the intuition of the educated or experts in the field, but the problem is advocacy groups can be affiliated with certain political figures which can skew the numbers to their favor (UP School of Statistics, 2022). Many political parties have been reported to conduct non-representative surveys with unclear methodologies or controlled population samples. Thus, it is recommended that Filipinos cross check if the news they are relying on is a product of unbiased study from a reliable research group proven and tested for its credibility, and accuracy.

Apprehensible

                    A data can be the brainchild of renowned statisticians, but if the public scratch their heads at the sight of it, then it becomes pointless. Statistics is a language, and people only love the math when they understand it. The way the data is presented can be misleading, and that’s why we employ the use of figures, pictures, vignettes, any testimony that capture the numbers with just a glance. It is hard to fathom 75,000 attendees of a rally unless we have a picture of it (Inquirer, 2022), or how 3.6 million Filipinos faced mental health issues during the pandemic (DOH, 2020) if we don’t hear it from the victims themselves. Creativity must be incorporated into selling these ideas to the public, especially the ones that are hard to digest.

Tactful

                    Perhaps the most important character our data presentation must embody is empathy. It’s easy to throw out these numbers and tell people they’re wrong, but one can’t simply throw away a whole wall of stances they’ve built over the years (Svoboda, 2017). Filipinos have a collective pride where our stubbornness in defending our beliefs root from, but our hospitality makes us also innately compassionate. Instead of harshly mocking them, we can kindly ensure the misinformed their incorrect belief isn’t a mirror reflection of their principles. Being responsible citizens entails tireless persuasion in fighting for what’s right, which is why we must learn how to lay out harsh truths in an inoffensive, enlightening manner.

                    Just like the people they were made for, statistics is manipulatable and fickle, so it must be straightforward, reliable, digestible, and most importantly mindful. The figures and numbers we present are a measure of our progress as a society. We may not be able to change the numbers, but what we can change is how people perceive them. It may be difficult to convince hundred of millions of Filipinos scattered across 7107 islands and 17 regions, but it is manageable to understand each other as one nation.