Using the JMP Statistical Package to Enhance the Statistical Literacy of the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA's) Survey Staff

• Activity Number: 127
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, July 30, 2012 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
• Author(s): Carol Blumberg*+ and Marlana Anderson and Andrew Hoegh and Jennifer Lawhorn
• Companies: U.S. Energy Information Administration and U.S. Energy Information Administration and Virginia Tech and Edwards Lifesciences
• Keywords: Statistical Literacy ; Software Use ; Survey Management ; Training

Abstract

EIA began using JMP® five years ago so that survey managers could do some statistical analyses on their own without having to write SAS® code (or depend on others to write it.) EIA started with 10 copies. As word spread of the package's ease of use, the number of users increased incrementally to 50 within three years. The users have a wide variety of backgrounds in terms of knowledge of mathematics and statistics and in the use of statistical packages. A series of workshops was developed using EIA mathematical statisticians as the instructors. The initial intent was to concentrate on how to use JMP® and include some short discussions on how to read the output. However, each time the workshops were given the attendees had more questions about the mathematical and statistical concepts than on how to generate output. These questions ranged from how to read exponential notation, to how to read a stem and leaf plot, and to why do statisticians prefer "do not reject HO" to "Accept HO". This paper will focus on the types of statistical and mathematical questions asked by the workshop attendees and the variety of methods used to answer these questions.