Are Your Stats Betraying You? Simpson’s Paradox Explained

Why Summaries Can Mislead and How Analysts Can Stay One Step Ahead

Simpson’s Paradox can be confusing, even for experienced data analysts. It occurs when a trend that appears within different groups of data reverses or disappears when those groups are combined. In this article, we’ll explore the paradox using a kidney stone treatment example, demonstrate why it’s misleading, and outline how you can avoid being fooled in your own analyses.