"You may be reading this introduction on your first day of class. We know you have some questions and concerns about what your course will be like. Math, formulas, and calculations? Yes, those will be part of your learning experience. But there is more. Throughout our text, we highlight the relevance of statistics in our daily and professional lives. Data are used to predict public opinion, consumer spending, and even a presidential election. How Americans feel about a variety of political and social topics-race relations, gun control, immigration, the economy, health care reform, or terrorism-are measured by surveys and polls and reported daily by the news media. Your recent Amazon purchase didnt go unnoticed.

The study of consumer trends, specifically focusing on young adults, helps determine commercial programming, product advertising and placement, and, ultimately, consumer spending. And as we prepare this text, the world struggles to comprehend political divides, climate change, migration patterns, and gender rights, among other things. Statistics are not just a part of our lives in the form of news bits or information. And it isnt just numbers either. As social scientists, we rely on statistics to help us understand our social world. We use statistical methods and techniques to track demographic trends, to assess social differences, and to better inform social policy. We encourage you to move beyond just being a consumer of statistics and determine how you can use statistics to gain insight into important social issues that affect you and others"--.