What sources we use
We prioritise, in roughly this order: large government and intergovernmental datasets (e.g. the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Reserve, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the OECD, the World Bank); peer-reviewed academic research, especially meta-analyses and longitudinal studies; and well-documented surveys from established research organisations. We avoid blogs, marketing content, and unsourced "studies show" claims.
How we handle uncertainty
Population research is messy. Effects vary by country, method, and decade; famous findings sometimes fail to replicate. So we try to:
- Prefer findings that are large, replicated, and consistent across studies.
- Say plainly when research is mixed, contested, or evolving — rather than picking the cleanest headline.
- Distinguish correlation from causation, and avoid implying a reliable "lever" where there is only an association.
- Round figures and label them as approximate, because false precision is its own kind of dishonesty.
How we write
We use careful language by design: "the data suggests," "most people in this situation report," "research on this is mixed but the general pattern shows." We avoid claims like "you are falling behind," "this will change your life," or "scientifically proven." We never invent statistics, and we never present self-help intuition as if it were research.
What "in context" means
Our core method is simple: take a real figure from your life and place it inside the actual distribution of that figure across a population. A number that feels alarming in isolation often looks ordinary against the full spread — and occasionally the reverse. We show the distribution; we do not assign you a grade within it.
Citations and review
Every research and insight page cites its sources at the bottom and carries a "last reviewed" date. We revisit pages as new data is published, and we correct errors when we find them or when readers flag them. If you spot something wrong, please tell us — corrections are genuinely welcome.
The limits of this approach
Context is powerful but partial. Statistics describe groups, not the texture of an individual life. Most data is strongest for high-income countries and may not represent yours. And understanding where you stand is not the same as knowing what to do about it — which is why we point toward qualified professionals for decisions that matter. See our data sources for the full list of what we draw on.