Relative vs Absolute Risk: The Number That Makes Headlines Lie

Summary

"X raises your risk 50%" is almost meaningless on its own: if the risk goes from 2-in-1,000 to 3-in-1,000, that's a **50% relative** increase and a **0.1% absolute** one — and the headline always quotes the big relative number while hiding the tiny absolute one, so the single most useful stats skill is to **demand the absolute change before you react.**