Data Visualisation and Economic Patterns
EVIDENCE LAB · 04
Visualise
Economic Patterns.
A chart is an analytical argument. Learn to match form to question, reveal structure honestly and communicate evidence without distortion.
COMPARETRENDRELATE
01 · MATCH FORM TO QUESTION
What must the reader
be able to see?
Bar chart
Compare magnitudes across regions, sectors or groups. Begin quantitative bars at zero.
Line chart
Reveal direction, turning points, cycles and structural breaks in ordered time.
Scatter plot
Inspect association, clusters, nonlinearities and influential observations between two variables.
02 · VISUAL INTEGRITY
The axis can clarify.
Or manipulate.
Honest zero baseline
Values 70 and 78 look appropriately similar when the bar scale begins at zero.
Truncated baseline
The same values appear dramatically different when the vertical axis begins near 68. Always disclose scale choices.
ECONOMIC VISUALISATION STUDIO
Turn observations
into an argument.
Select a chart, edit the data and title, and observe how the same evidence answers different questions.
Regional employment rate (%)
COMPARISON
ECONOMIST’S READINGAttica records the highest employment rate, while Epirus records the lowest; the gap is 8 percentage points.
KNOWLEDGE CHECK
To examine unemployment and education
across regions, choose…
