OpenCourseWare on critical thinking, logic, and creativity

Answer

In the U.S., even though the mean family size is 3.6 people, only 45% of households are made up of 3 or 4 people; 35% have fewer than 3 people, and 20% have four or more people. Even so, builders often rely on the mean family size, and build primarily two-bedroom homes to accommodate them. This has led to an oversupply of two-bedroom homes in the U.S. and an undersupply of homes of other sizes. (Source: D. Huff (1973), How to Lie with Statistics. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin.)

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