A quick, accessible lesson on paired t-tests, featuring summer activities that people over 45 (me!) don't like.

This YouGov data asked Americans to rate how much they enjoy a variety of summer activities. They graphed out the percentage of people, divided by demographics, who indicated that they like or love a summer activity. One of the demographics they used was age. Which makes me feel seen, and I can already imagine how I will poke fun at myself, a 46-year-old who hates outdoor sports.

More pedagogically, I can use this data when introducing paired t-tests. Specifically, I can get them to ponder this data and think about why the age differences exist.

Here is the data visualization for activities where there is a big age gap in enjoyment:

Here is the data visualization for activities where there is not a big age difference:

I think they really missed out by not including birdwatching on this list. I'm 46 and I hecking love it.

I could also see this as an example in a Developmental or Psychology of Aging course. What is driving the differences between older and younger adult preferences?

I entered this data into a spreadsheet, so you can have your students analyze it.

If you want to delve deeper into this data or provide context for the data collection, the original report is also available from YouGov.

If you like this example, check out my W.W. Norton & Co. textbook, Psychological Statistics for Everyone.

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