Statistical clues
to social injustice
Danny Dorling
University of Sheffield
Radical Statistics Annual Conference
London, February 27th 2010
Proportions that suffer injustices
of different kinds
in affluent nations
Fraction
Subject
How Labelled
Description of group who suffer the injustice
%
Year
A seventh
Children
Delinquent
Found limited or simple at learning
13
2006
A sixth
People
Debarred
Excluded from society in at least two ways
16
1999/2001
A fifth
Adults
Debtors
Admit not managing to get by financially (if asked)
21
1984-2004
Households
Discarded
Have no car where car use has become assumed
26
2006/7
A third
Families
Depressed
Member suffers depression or chronic anxiety disorder
33
2000
A half
Citizens
Disenfranchised Adults who did not or could not vote in the latest US presidential
elections
46
2008
A quarter
Injustices, social evils,
political, philosophical and
public labels combined
2010
Injustice
1942
Past
1983
Political
Elitism
Ignorance 6. Differences in
skills and ability
2007
Philosophical
4. Threats to sense, using
imagination, and thought
5. Threats to experiencing and
expressing emotions freely
1. The exploitation 3. Threats to bodily integrity
of those who work 9. Threats to play, ability to relax,
take Sabbaths and holidays
2008
Public
3. A decline in values, lack of tolerance, compassion
and respect
4. Problems concerning young people, family
breakdown and poor parenting
Exclusion Want
1. Problems caused by individualism, consumerism,
decline in community life
2. Excessive use of drugs and alcohol, both as
consequence and causes
5. Inequality and poverty, corrosive evil in an affluent
society
Prejudice Idleness 3. Unemployment 6. Threats to being able to use
7. Violence and crime, child abuse and exploitation
(sexism 5. The economic
practical reason (to be able to
8. Gender inequality, inequalities embedded in current
and
subordination of
contribute)
thinking
racism) women
7. Threats to affiliation, to belonging, 9. Intolerance resulting from the beliefs of many
having mutual respect
religions, and similar ideas
10. Problems of attitudes to social diversity and
immigration
Greed
Squalor 2. The inheritance 10. Threats to having control over
6. Problems caused by big business, apathy and a
of wealth by a
one’s environment (to having rights) democratic deficit
minority
8. Threats to other species, lack of 12. Environmental issues, selfishness and insularity
concern sure to backfire
Despair
Disease 4. Infirmity and the 1. Threats to life
11. Health problems, especially lack of care for older
problems of old age 2. Threats to bodily health
people
Children by ability in the
Netherlands, according to the
OECD, 2006 (%)
26% effective
27% simple
11% developed
21% barely
2%advanced
2% none
11% limited
Distribution of children by
ability, according to the
OECD, 2006 (%)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
World
none
Netherlands
limited
barely
simple
UK
effective
USA
developed
advanced
School-leaving age (years)
and university entry (%),
Britain, 1876-2013
50
University
entry
20
45
40
18
35
16
years
30
25 %
14
12
20
School
leaving
age
15
10
10
8
1860
5
0
1880
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
2020
2040
Pearson goodness-of-fit test
of Nobel prize by sex and
subject, 1901–2008
Medicine
Physics
Chemistry
Literature
184
180
149
94
84
62
753
8
1.5
2.5
11
12
0
35
total
192
181.5
151.5
105
96
62
788
men
183.5
173.4
144.8
100.3
91.7
59.2
753
8.5
8.1
6.7
4.7
4.3
2.8
35
total
192.0
181.5
151.5
105.0
96.0
62.0
788.0
men
0.5
6.6
4.2
-6.3
-7.7
2.8
0.0
-0.5
-6.6
-4.2
6.3
7.7
-2.8
0.0
total
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
men
0.0015
0.2482
0.1235
0.4001
0.6524
0.1280
1.55
women
0.0327
5.3407
2.6579
8.6087
14.0354
2.7538
33.43
0.03
5.59
2.78
9.01
14.69
2.88
34.98
Observed men
women
Expected
women
(O-E)
women
(O-E)²/E
total
Peace Economics
Total
Male and female Nobel (and
economics) laureates, by
subject, 1901-2008
women
0
Economics
62
men
Peace
12
Literature
11
84
94
Chemistry
2.5
Physics
1.5
149
180
8
Medicine
184
0
50
100
150
200
Female Nobel laureates (%), by
decade, worldwide, 1901-2009
10%
9%
9%
8%
8%
7%
7%
6%
5%
5%
5%
3%
1970s
4%
4%
1960s
4%
4%
4%
3%
2%
1%
2000s
1990s
1980s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1910s
1900s
1950s
0%
0%
Proportion of households poor
by different measures (%),
Britain, 1999
Necessities (17%)
Subjectively (20%)
5.5%
%%
5.6%
3.4%
%%
67% (not poor)
(not poor
%
1.8%
%
Low
Income
(19%)
Pearson goodness-of-fit test of
Karl Pearson’s pauper data, 1891
Paupers(P)
-200
-150
-100
-50
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
950
1000
Total
normal(N) binomial(B)
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
4
1
10
4
19
18
37
44
63
73
83
90
97
105
97
92
83
75
63
55
37
36
21
20
10
12
4
5
2
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
632
632
data(D)
0
0
0
0
0*
2
20
47
73
90
100
90
75
55
40
21
11
5
1
1
0
1*
0
0
0
632
B-D
(B-D)²
(B-D)²/B
1
-3
0
0
5
2
0
0
-4
-1
1
-1
1
9
0
0
25
4
0
0
16
1
1
1
0.043
0.205
0.000
0.000
0.238
0.043
0.000
0.000
0.444
0.050
0.083
0.143
1.250
Geographical distribution of
paupers, England and Wales,
1891
120
normal(N)
binomial(B)
100
data(D)
80
60
40
20
-20
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
-100
-200
0
Circling from exclusion to
inclusion and back again (model)
Exclusively
Wealthy
Asset wealthy
Non-poor non-wealthy
Core
Poor
Distribution of income inequality
(US$), worldwide, 2000
1500
1250
Europe
1000
Americas
750
Asia
500
Africa
250
(..$$$$.....annually………….....)
500000
250000
131000
66000
33000
16000
8000
4000
6$ a day
3$ a day
1.4$ a day
70c a day
40c a day
0
Real growth per decade in GDP
(%), per person, by continent,
1955-2001
60%
Africa
1973
Asia
1969
50%
Americas
Europe
40%
1968
30%
1977
20%
10%
0%
-10%
2000
1995
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
1960
1955
-20%
Households’ ability to get by on
their income in Britain,
1984-2004
Very Difficult
6%
Difficult to Manage
15%
Living Comfortably
31%
Coping
48%
Inequalities of health, privilege
and wealth, in Britain, 1918-2005 (%)
Year
1918
1922
1923
1924
1929
1931
1935
1945
1950
1951
1955
1959
1964
1966
1970
1974 February
1974 October
1979
1983
1987
1992
1997
2001
2005
Mortality inequality of decile groups
by area
Geographical
Excess of
Advantage
concentration of
worse-off
if best-off national Conservative
30% (a)
10% (b)
vote by area [c]
29%
35%
19%
26%
30%
14%
26%
30%
12%
25%
28%
11%
23%
25%
9%
23%
26%
9%
29%
31%
10%
25%
25%
7%
20%
18%
7%
20%
18%
7%
23%
21%
7%
25%
23%
6%
24%
21%
7%
22%
20%
8%
21%
18%
8%
20%
17%
8%
20%
17%
11%
21%
19%
9%
23%
21%
11%
25%
22%
12%
26%
25%
12%
30%
29%
14%
30%
30%
15%
30%
30%
16%
National income share
of best-off 1%
pre-tax (d)
19%
18%
19%
18%
17%
16%
14%
13%
12%
12%
9%
9%
9%
9%
7%
7%
6%
6%
7%
8%
10%
12%
13%
16%
post-tax (e)
17%
16%
17%
16%
15%
14%
13%
10%
7%
6%
6%
6%
6%
6%
5%
4%
4%
4%
5%
6%
8%
10%
10%
13%
Inequalities in survival chances
to age 65 by area in Britain,
1920-2006
32%
30%
28%
26%
24%
22%
20%
18%
16%
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
Worse-off 30%
1970
1980
Best-off 10%
1990
2000
20%
Concentration of Conservative
votes, British general elections,
1918-2005
18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
Share of all income received by
the richest 1% in Britain,
1918-2005
20%
Pre-Tax
18%
Post-tax
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2080
2070
2060
2050
2040
2030
2020
2010
2000
1990
1980
1970
1960
1950
1940
1930
1920
1910
1900
1890
1880
1870
1860
1850
1840
England and Wales’s net
immigration by birth year,
1840-2080
30%
20%
10%
0%
-10%
-20%
Households by number of cars,
and those with no cars in Britain,
2006/07
No Car
25%
One car
45%
Single adult
14%
Married no kids3%
Married with kids 2%
Lone Parents 4%
Other 2%
Two + Cars
30%
Additional debt added
annually by sector, US,
1977-2008 (US$ billion)
Date
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Household debt
Home Consumer
mortgage
credit
Total
Debt
Households
Total
Business
Total
86
36
388
128
106
46
489
160
117
43
498
170
90
3
440
108
67
20
538
106
47
19
549
84
105
48
695
176
127
82
958
219
182
84
1164
314
199
56
1185
261
222
32
1016
264
216
47
1042
272
225
47
920
283
199
15
892
232
174
-9
641
184
171
9
775
199
157
61
923
238
167
135
1029
323
154
147
1197
310
206
106
1336
336
216
70
1458
301
302
97
2071
426
380
112
2090
495
386
177
1735
584
507
151
2016
672
706
108
2385
831
860
104
2786
984
938
115
3126
1061
1041
95
3553
1171
964
104
4025
1169
652
134
4395
849
-46
44
2728
51
Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients with annual federal government borrowing
0.01
-0.24
0.29
-0.01
All debt
State & local
Federal
governments government
Financial sectors
Domestic
Foreign
117
139
159
135
190
153
165
323
256
295
221
307
208
131
-84
-7
10
145
285
273
439
567
582
560
381
180
177
455
677
889
1228
507
20
39
27
22
28
42
47
53
164
74
90
50
47
47
91
17
58
-46
-61
-21
51
67
37
17
106
144
120
115
172
151
186
48
56
53
36
77
86
161
185
197
226
216
144
155
146
247
278
304
256
156
144
145
23
-53
-71
-296
-6
258
396
362
307
183
237
1239
54
75
91
73
105
93
104
158
204
329
291
250
225
211
156
239
292
462
440
514
574
1027
1027
807
874
879
1067
978
1114
1301
1771
1040
14
24
15
24
24
16
17
8
1
10
6
7
10
24
15
24
70
-11
78
88
70
37
19
63
-11
93
42
155
113
331
124
-158
0.01
0.20
1.00
0.19
-0.29
Outstanding consumer debt as a
proportion of disposable income,
US, 1975-2005
140
35%
Ratio
127.2
Change
31%
120
30%
96.8
25%
100
89.8
83.8
20%
69.5
80
73
62
15%
60
15%
12%
40
10%
7%
5%
8%
20
5%
0
0%
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
Poverty, car exhaust emissions
and pollution inhaled in Britain,
by area, 1999
Social security and taxation
prosecutions, Australia, counts,
1989-2003
7000
6000
Social Security
Taxation
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Debt payments as a
percentage of disposable
income, US, 1980-2008
20
19
18
17
16
15
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
Financial Obligations Ratios (total)
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
41Puerto Rico
82–96 4–17
1886 2.1
5.8
42GB
84–94 5–15
10438 .3
2.5
86–89 11–14
625
.2
1.9
90–93 7–10
625
.2
90–93 11–12
508
3.0
Rates
2.0
Canino (Canino et al., 2004) (and
personal communication)
Studies of adolescent
depression available for metaanalysis, 1973-2006
43Brazil
44Brazil
45*USA
Study
number
9.7
Place
Year of
birth
Age at
interview
Obs
(%)
Age<13 Both
Ford (Ford, Goodman, & Meltzer,
2003)
Fleitlich-Bilyk(Fleitlich-Bilyk &
Goodman, 2004)
Fleitlich-Bilyk (Fleitlich-Bilyk &
Goodman, 2004)
Van der Stoep (personal
communication)
Girls
Boys
Original Study, first author and
citation
Adolescent girls assessed as
depressed (%), North America,
1984-2001
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
Male/female mortality ratio by
age in the rich world, 1850–1999
3.50
1855
1860
1865
1870
1875
3.00
1880
1885
1890
1895
2.50
1900
1905
1910
1915
2.00
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1.50
1945
1950
1955
1960
1.00
1965
1970
1975
1980
95-99
90-94
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
1985
0-4
0.50
1990
1995
The fractal
nature of
geographical
divides, North–
South/West–
East, Britain,
2010
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
The crash: US mortgage debt,
1977-2009
(% change and US$ billion)
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
-200
-400
The rate of prescribing antidepressants by the NHS in
Scotland, 1992-2006
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
05-06
04-05
03-04
02-03
01-02
00-01
99-00
98-99
97-98
96-97
95-96
94-95
93-94
92-93
0
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