A statistically significant result is one that we are fairly sure is real, and did not occur due to chance. It is important to remember that “statistically significant” does not necessarily mean “practically significant.” For example, evaluators found a city’s crime rate fell 5% since 2001, a statistically significant difference. Is this 5% reduction important in the real-world? It will depend on the expertise of the evaluators and the stakeholders to decide. Perhaps a 5% reduction over an 18 year period is far below what they were aiming for.

See also: statistics

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