Sturgeon skews her stats (again)

The statistical shenanigans of the SNP have been highlighted by Mr S before but it’s always worth highlighting when the nationalist Holyrood government gets it wrong (again). At First Minister’s Questions yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon told colleagues that England’s infection rate is 20 per cent higher than that of Scotland, according to ONS figures. A surprising figure, given that the ONS estimated infection rate was 1 in 20 for both nations yesterday. The SNP leader said:

In terms of the ONS figures this week, infection levels in England right now are over 20 per cent higher than in Scotland. I don’t think it’s a competition but if Douglas Ross wants to make these comparisons, then they are the comparisons, there is the data.

But as journalist Chris Musson noted, this Sturgeon soundbite is just one of a number of statistical sleights-of-hand regularly used by the Scottish government. For the ONS infection survey figures that Sturgeon seems to have used to calculate an ‘over 20 per cent’ difference between Scotland and England are below.