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Supervisor urges better data literacy for board decisions; Forward Analytics material presented

Winnebago County Board of Supervisors · January 6, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Supervisor Hancock Cook presented guidance adapted from Forward Analytics on reading graphs, sample sizes, confidence intervals, correlation vs causation, and neutral survey design, and urged staff to cite original sources and use county data experts when evaluating reports.

Supervisor Hancock Cook presented an adapted Forward Analytics briefing on data literacy to the Winnebago County Board, emphasizing practical checks for evaluating charts and reports used in county decisionmaking.

Hancock Cook walked the board through examples of misleading graphic design — notably a truncated y-axis and unlabeled scales — and showed how using absolute values, readable axes and confidence intervals (error bars) gives a clearer picture. She stressed…

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