30% is not tripling: Antena 3's meat price blunder
Spanish broadcaster Antena 3 claimed meat prices would rise 30%, meaning they would 'triple'. We break down the mathematical error and the debate it has sparked.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
When 30% becomes tripling: Antena 3's meat price blunder
How much is a third? At Antena 3 they seem pretty sure: a 30% increase means tripling the price. The report, which announced a 30% rise in meat prices, added that they would "triple". A textbook mathematical error: tripling requires 300%, not 30%.
The reactions were swift. The confusion between percentage points and a multiplicative factor is so basic that it throws you off, and it has given some people an excuse to dust off the Agenda 2030 folder and the food conspiracy. The recurring argument: insects and plant-based feed will replace meat, and the elite will keep eating steaks while everyone else settles for substitutes. Others, more down to earth, blame inflation and production costs.
Beyond the error, the debate about the real price of meat – which has indeed gone up due to energy and feed costs – is being tainted by this kind of journalistic slip. Anyone who wants to know how much more they will pay at the butcher's is better off ignoring the news and checking the label. With material like this, apply the reverse rule of three: divide by three whatever you hear on TV and start doubting.
How much is a third? At Antena 3 they seem pretty sure: a 30% increase means tripling the price. The report, which announced a 30% rise in meat prices, added that they would "triple". A textbook mathematical error: tripling requires 300%, not 30%.
The reactions were swift. The confusion between percentage points and a multiplicative factor is so basic that it throws you off, and it has given some people an excuse to dust off the Agenda 2030 folder and the food conspiracy. The recurring argument: insects and plant-based feed will replace meat, and the elite will keep eating steaks while everyone else settles for substitutes. Others, more down to earth, blame inflation and production costs.
Beyond the error, the debate about the real price of meat – which has indeed gone up due to energy and feed costs – is being tainted by this kind of journalistic slip. Anyone who wants to know how much more they will pay at the butcher's is better off ignoring the news and checking the label. With material like this, apply the reverse rule of three: divide by three whatever you hear on TV and start doubting.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (23 replies).
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