Ecological fallacy
Also called: Group averages for individuals
Drawing conclusions about individuals from data about their group.
How to spot it
Is a statistic about a region or group used to describe a person?
Example
“That town has high incomes, so this resident must be wealthy.”
How to answer it
A group average says little about any one member.
Related
- Fallacy of division: Assuming that what is true of the whole is true of each part.
- Hasty generalization: Drawing a broad conclusion from too few or unrepresentative examples.