The Echoes of Errors

Thanks to traditional and social media, an error in one document can echo outwards.

This article looks at how the erroneous claim that “4 in 10 dads will not see their children on Fathers’ Day” spread, and its corrections.

‘4 in 10 Fathers’

ComRes interviewed 2,082 British adults and 1,015 British fathers via an internet panel, between 29th May and 9th June 2019. The survey was commissioned by the campaign group Fathers4Justice, focusing on experiences and attitudes relating to fatherhood.

In the Fathers4Justice press release, the first sentence contains a misrepresentation:

A third of dads (37 per cent) will not see their children on Father’s Day according to a major new poll from ComRes which was commissioned by Fathers4Justice.

The question was:

Have you or someone you know experienced any of the following?

37% of the sample responded that they — or someone they know — had experienced “Not seeing my child(ren) on Father’s Day”. The survey estimated 21% of fathers had experienced not seeing their children.

About 1 in 5 fathers had not seen their children on some past Father’s Day. (Source: ComRes/Fathers4Justice)

Consequently, there are three errors seen in headlines and articles:

• ‘4 in 10’: The 37% figure includes fathers who knew other fathers who had experienced that…