Are real wages rising or falling? Sometimes it can be either This graph shows how next time you read about rises or falls in ‘real wages’, you’d be well justified in asking “by whose measure?” Taking average weekly earnings estimates from… 24 Jul 2014 • 3:27 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Performance of academy chains is a mixed bag Headlines alone don’t often do serious research justice, but it’s a rarer sight to see two papers directly contradict each other as the Times and Independent did this morning: Times: “Academy… 24 Jul 2014 • 12:14 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Fuel poverty affects fewer households in England, but the burden is growing Announcing a number of measures including a new target on fuel poverty, Ed Davey, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said that “since 2010 the number of… 22 Jul 2014 • 3:51 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Think 45% of students aren’t going to repay their loans? Think again. Government forecasts of the repayment of student loans have been the subject of scathing criticism today, in a report from a group of MPs. The report, published by the Business Select Committee, warned that the… 22 Jul 2014 • 11:58 am • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
How well do you think you know your local area? You might be surprised. The ONS has released a clever little tool that quizzes you on your knowledge of your local area. If you live in England or Wales, just pop in a postcode and then… 21 Jul 2014 • 12:50 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Explaining the “we only use 10% of our brains” myth “We only use 10% of our brains” – it’s a piece of ‘knowledge’ that has seeped into everything from school science lessons to first aid classes, according to Jordan Gaines… 21 Jul 2014 • 11:45 am • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Guardian prints correction on suicide rates in younger men The Guardian today published a correction to its piece on assisted dying, after we pointed out it contained inaccurate figures on suicide rates. The article referred to concerns about rising suicide rates in men… 18 Jul 2014 • 11:35 am • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Lib dems propose to change – not axe – the “bedroom tax” “Bedroom tax must be axed says Nick Clegg in dramatic Lib Dem U-turn” – so proclaimed the front page of the Mirror today. But “axe” may not be the right… 17 Jul 2014 • 12:00 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Bad graphs: wages versus prices The latest employment figures are out: employment is rising and unemployment is falling, continuing the general trend for the past two years. But people’s wages aren’t keeping pace with rising… 16 Jul 2014 • 11:48 am • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Daily Mail publishes NHS cosmetic surgery clarification This post has been updated Last week we found that claims by the Daily Mail and Telegraph that the number of NHS cosmetic surgery operations had doubled in a decade… 15 Jul 2014 • 3:22 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Freedom of Information doesn’t always need to take a month We’ve been following up on our recent factcheck of claims that hundreds of hospital patients are being “kicked out” of their beds overnight. It’s suspected that many of these patients… 15 Jul 2014 • 10:58 am • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
The future of North Sea oil and gas Scotland’s Independence Referendum Scottish passports and immigration Tax and spending in Scotland Pensions in an independent Scotland
51 million unable to see a GP by 2015? Why we don’t have enough information to say Health 28 Jul 2014 • 4:24 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Will it take three years for living standards to catch up with economic growth? Economy 25 Jul 2014 • 12:05 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail
Are young people being priced out of the housing market? Economy 24 Jul 2014 • 5:08 pm • Share Twitter Facebook Mail