‫وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي‬

‫المركز الجامعي بأفـــــــلو‬

‫معهد العلوم اإلنسانية واالجتماعية‬
‫سنة أولى ماستر علم االجتماع تنظيم وعمل‬

‫فرق بين اإلحصاء الوصفي‬

‫واالحصاء االستداللي‬

‫استاذ المقياس‬ ‫من اعداد‬

‫فاطمة‬ ‫منصوري عبد القادر‬

‫‪2023/2024‬‬
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics: A Comprehensive Overview

Statistics is a branch of mathematics that deals with the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.
It is a vast and complex field, with many different subfields and techniques.

Two of the most important subfields of statistics are descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
Descriptive statistics is used to describe data, while inferential statistics is used to make inferences
about populations based on sample data.

Descriptive Statistics

Descriptive statistics is a set of techniques used to summarize and describe data. It is used to answer
questions about the data, such as:

 What are the main features of the data?

 What is the distribution of the data?

 What are the relationships between different variables?

Descriptive statistics uses a variety of measures to describe data, including:

 Measures of central tendency: These measures summarize the center of the data, such as the
mean, median, and mode.

 Measures of variability: These measures summarize the spread of the data, such as the standard
deviation and variance.

 Measures of association: These measures summarize the relationships between different

variables, such as correlation and regression.

Examples of descriptive statistics

Here are some examples of how descriptive statistics can be used:

 A company might use descriptive statistics to summarize the sales data for its products. This
information could be used to identify trends in sales, such as which products are most popular
or which regions are performing well.

 A government agency might use descriptive statistics to summarize the results of a survey. This
information could be used to understand the public's opinions on a particular issue.

 A scientist might use descriptive statistics to summarize the data from an experiment. This
information could be used to identify patterns in the data, which could lead to new insights.

Inferential Statistics
Inferential statistics is a set of techniques used to make inferences about populations based on sample
data. It is used to answer questions about populations, such as:

 What is the average height of all adults in the United States?

 What percentage of voters in the next election will vote for the incumbent?

 What is the relationship between smoking and lung cancer?

Inferential statistics uses a variety of methods to make inferences about populations, including:

 Hypothesis testing: This method is used to test whether a hypothesis about a population is true.

 Estimation: This method is used to estimate the value of a population parameter, such as the
mean or proportion.

 Regression analysis: This method is used to model the relationship between two or more
variables.

Examples of inferential statistics

Here are some examples of how inferential statistics can be used:

 A pharmaceutical company might use inferential statistics to test the effectiveness of a new
drug. The company would collect data from a sample of patients who have taken the drug, and
then use inferential statistics to determine whether the drug is effective in treating the disease.

 A political campaign might use inferential statistics to predict the outcome of an election. The
campaign would collect data from a sample of voters, and then use inferential statistics to
estimate the percentage of voters who will vote for the candidate.

 A public health agency might use inferential statistics to study the relationship between smoking
and lung cancer. The agency would collect data from a sample of smokers and nonsmokers, and
then use inferential statistics to determine whether there is a statistically significant relationship
between smoking and lung cancer.

Relationship between Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Descriptive and inferential statistics are closely related. Descriptive statistics is often used to provide the
foundation for inferential statistics. For example, a researcher might use descriptive statistics to describe
the distribution of data from a sample. This information could then be used to choose an appropriate
inferential statistical method for making inferences about the population.

Conclusion

Descriptive and inferential statistics are two important branches of statistics. Descriptive statistics is
used to describe data, while inferential statistics is used to make inferences about populations based on
sample data. These two branches of statistics are often used together to answer questions about data.