Data link roundup (week of October 25, 2013)

The week's top data analysis links...
This week's theme: beginnings, endings, and how we spend the time between.


BABY BOOM / BABY BUST

Washington, DC is having a mini baby boom. Japan is experiencing a massive baby bust.


LIFE EXPECTANCY

The United States may have a high standard of living, but U.S. life exepctancy has not been keeping pace with other nations.


WASTING TIME?

With the advent of modern technology, we are spending more time online, but there are still only 24 hours in a day. So what do we give up to spend time on social media?

Source: Harvard Business Review

If you guessed "work" or "sleep," you're right. Based on data from the American Time Use Survey, researchers at NBER found that:

...each minute of online leisure time is correlated with 0.29 fewer minutes on all other types of leisure, with about half of that coming from time spent watching TV and video, 0.05 minutes from (offline) socializing, 0.04 minutes from relaxing and thinking, and the balance from time spent at parties, attending cultural events, and listening to the radio. Each minute of online leisure is also correlated with 0.27 fewer minutes working, 0.12 fewer minutes sleeping, 0.10 fewer minutes in travel time, 0.07 fewer minutes in household activities, and 0.06 fewer minutes in educational activities.

BEST CHART VIDEO OF THE WEEK

The Economist explains why most published research is wrong...



IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

• Freaky facts and scary stats for Halloween 2013
• Federal agencies publish new release schedules for data and statistical reports