Main content

Covid trends, face mask use, and the universal credit cut

A coronavirus check-in, our daily mask use measured, and a minister's claim on the universal credit cut questioned.

A coronavirus check-in, our daily mask use measured, and a minister's claim on the universal credit cut questioned.

There was a time when the latest Covid statistics were headline news daily, but as the pandemic has stretched on into its second year and third wave people don't pay as much attention. But on More or Less we still keep an eye on them because that鈥檚 how we roll.

A recent article estimated that 129 billion single-use face masks are used every day around the world. It sounds wrong, but how wrong is it? And how did it get so wrong?

Making up the shortfall from the 拢20 weekly cut in the universal credit benefit means working an extra two hours a week - or an extra nine, depending on who you listen to. We run the numbers.

Plus, has the number of periods women have in a lifetime increased fourfold? And how many holes does a drinking straw have?

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Sun 26 Sep 2021 20:00

Broadcasts

  • Wed 22 Sep 2021 09:00
  • Fri 24 Sep 2021 16:30
  • Sun 26 Sep 2021 20:00

Just how reliable is our intuition? Find out with The Open University

OU Connect: Put your brain to the test with our new mind-bending probability problems!

When can you trust statistics?

When can you trust statistics?

成人快手 Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.

Download this programme

Download this programme

Subscribe to the More or Less Podcast or download individual episodes.