Data-Driven Policy Decisions: Numbers Do Not Contain the Whole Truth

Data analysis was back in fashion again this spring, with a nation hanging on the shape of infection curves and the reliability of predictive mathematical models. Then, it was back out of fashion, as the lockdowns of March gave way to the primal street violence of May. Both experiences should humble our view of the power of data.

Using data to inform the tasks of making public policy and persuading voters of its merits is a good thing, especially where hard, falsifiable science is concerned. It is good for conservatives to cultivate leaders, pundits, and spokesmen who are fluent in and comfortable dealing with such data, and bad news when they cannot compete on that field. Facts, knowledge, and evidence are always important. Without them, we are flying blind.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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Data analysis was back in fashion again this spring, with a nation hanging on the shape of infection curves and the reliability of predictive mathematical models. Then, it was back out of fashion, as the lockdowns of March gave way to the primal street violence of May. Both experiences should humble our view of the power of data.

Using data to inform the tasks of making public policy and persuading voters of its merits is a good thing, especially where hard, falsifiable science is concerned. It is good for conservatives to cultivate leaders, pundits, and spokesmen who are fluent in and comfortable dealing with such data, and bad news when they cannot compete on that field. Facts, knowledge, and evidence are always important. Without them, we are flying blind.