Abstract

The article puts an accent on three aspects, which are shown through the prism of the specific cognitive potential of the statistical aggregate characteristics: the place of statistical information in the investigation of the social practice and in the scientific knowledge; the most widespread unintentional errors of the analysis, explanation and presentation of the aggregate statistical characteristics; the deliberate confusions from data manipulations, connected with unscrupulous and corrupt intentions. The main problem here is whether it is possible and in what way, the interests of society should be protected from such errors and deliberate confusions.