Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall

by | May 11, 2023 | Menger's Musings

In the traditional realm of parametric statistics, we were taught that the correct approach to building a statistical model of any sort was to follow the scientific method. You know, formulate a set of hypotheses about what independent factors might contribute to the...

The Perils of Projections

by | Apr 27, 2023 | Demographics, Menger's Musings

One of the great economists of the last century, John Kenneth Galbraith, once quipped that “the only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.” The same can be said for pretty much anything that we foolishly insist on forecasting –...

The Politicization of Census Data

by | Apr 13, 2023 | Census, Menger's Musings

Prior to the 2020 census, there was considerable debate about the politicization of the census through the proposed question on immigration status. The ultimate decision by the Supreme Court to disallow the question was largely because of the concern that the accuracy...
Grist for the AGS Data Mill

Grist for the AGS Data Mill

by | Jan 19, 2023 | Menger's Musings

Over the years, our data library has grown from a few hundred demographic variables to well over forty thousand elements that now covers both the United States and Canada. While we are admittedly data geeks, guilty of building data just for the fun of it, many of our...

In Memory of a Mentor and Friend

by | Dec 1, 2022 | Menger's Musings

This week, I read with considerable sadness of the passing of an old friend and mentor, Tony Lea. As many will know, Tony was an integral part of the success of Environics Analytics in Toronto over the past two decades. I first met Tony some forty years ago when I...