Discover this podcast and so much more

Podcasts are free to enjoy without a subscription. We also offer ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more for just $11.99/month.

Covid trends, face mask use, and the universal credit cut

Covid trends, face mask use, and the universal credit cut

FromMore or Less: Behind the Stats


Covid trends, face mask use, and the universal credit cut

FromMore or Less: Behind the Stats

ratings:
Length:
28 minutes
Released:
Sep 22, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

A coronavirus check-in, our daily mask use measured, and a minister's claim on the universal credit cut questioned.

There was a time when the latest Covid statistics were headline news daily, but as the pandemic has stretched on into its second year and third wave people don't pay as much attention. But on More or Less we still keep an eye on them because that’s how we roll.

A recent article estimated that 129 billion single-use face masks are used every day around the world. It sounds wrong, but how wrong is it? And how did it get so wrong?

Making up the shortfall from the £20 weekly cut in the universal credit benefit means working an extra two hours a week - or an extra nine, depending on who you listen to. We run the numbers.

Plus, has the number of periods women have in a lifetime increased fourfold? And how many holes does a drinking straw have?
Released:
Sep 22, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Tim Harford and the More or Less team try to make sense of the statistics which surround us. From BBC Radio 4