understanding statistics

Scope of the assignment

The assignment is based on the data given in the Excel spreadsheet QB2504_Assignment_Data.xlsx.

The spreadsheet contains social, labour market, education, and economic indicators for the Euro Area (27) region as well as for five individual countries which are also part of the EU-27.

You should select a sample of data for at least 3 variables and analyse these data. In particular, you should seek to:

– Summarise the information: using descriptive statistics

– Test for the existence of relationships between the variables using correlation and regression.

– Interpret your findings. You should think about using theories from other courses to aid your interpretation and explanation of key findings.

Refer to the QB2504 Tutorial Exercises and Computer Workshops for more practical guidance on data analysis. The results of your analysis need to be submitted in the form of a report of maximum 1,500 words( Excluding tables, references, appendix & graphs). It’s important to demonstrate an appreciation of the principles of statistics, their application, and their interpretation.

Brief notes

The data included in the spreadsheet allows for a flexible choice of topics. Examples of topics include:

• Is educational attainment related to (un)employment?

• Is there a relationship between life expectancy and social/economic conditions?

• Is there a relationship between consumption and wages?

• Is there a relationship between house building and social and/or economic conditions?

The data

The data is obtained from the official website of the Eurostat for the year of 2015. Further details on the data can be found at the end of this assignment brief in the Appendix section.

The Submission

You are required to produce a typed report on your chosen topic. The report should contain (in order) the following material:

1) An Executive Summary.

2) Introduction, which explains the topic area you have chosen to investigate and sets out your approach to data collection and analysis.

3) An explanation of the sources of your data and an assessment of any potential limitations or problems associated with the data.

4) A presentation of your data using appropriate graphs and tables.

5) An analysis of your data with explanations of why you have chosen particular techniques and rejected others.

6) A discussion of the results, which explains them in their wider social, economic and political context.

7) A conclusion.

8) A log-file: The report should contain a log-file of the meetings the group held as well as distribution of tasks per person.

Other requirements: Your report should be maximum 1,500 words long excluding graphs, tables and the appendix.

*** Words count = 1500 words.

*** In-Text Citations and References using Harvard style.

*** I have uploaded file named “QB2504_Assignment_Data”.

*** I have also upload compressed file named “Materials” related to this work.