10 Reasons to Study Statistics
“Virtually every job application, as well as applications to graduate school and law school, now asks you about your data analysis skills,” says Ronet D. Bachman, professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware. “Understanding how to manipulate data and interpret statistics will be a tremendous asset to you, no matter what direction you plan to take your career.”
Bachman uses statistics and research methods to investigate topics in the fields of criminology and criminal justice, such as the causes of violent crime, the way gang members perceive their world and the effect of wearing body cameras on police and citizen rates of injury.
But statistics and research methods resonate outside of their initial research applications. The knowledge gained can be applied to everyday life to help us become better students, citizens, critical thinkers, job applicants and decision makers.
In a world where we are constantly inundated with information, it’s important to be adept consumers of this knowledge. This means asking questions, conducting our own research and considering the validity of claims before we accept them as truth. Statistics and research methods can help us learn how to interpret and address data and information that we encounter.
Bachman, bestselling author of Essentials of Statistics for Criminology and Criminal Justice, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, and The Practice of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, presents 10 reasons why you should study statistics and research methods. View the infographic to learn more about the skills you can attain from studying statistics and research methods.
