Data without Emotion Doesn't Bring about Change

"There is no evidence that anybody has been converted by a pie chart."

So said Martin Palmer, secretary general of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, on BBC’s Beyond Belief in June.

He went on to say, "People are converted by stories, by narrative, by emotion, by an appeal to the heart."

This was a discussion about climate change and the Pope’s encyclical on the issue. Palmer's opinion is a serious indictment against those of us who try to use data to make change. As Palmer states, data analysis often doesn’t drive the change we hope it will.