Why shouldn't you use a stacked bar plot? A case study from Our World in Data (CC380)

November 10, 2025 • PD Schloss • 1 min read

Pat critiques a stacked bar plot published by Our World In Data that seeks to evaluate how often the media discusses different causes of death relative to actual rates. He also offers an alternative method of displaying the same data that is cleaner and easier to interpret. By Describing, Analyzing, Interpreting, and then Judging the visual he contends that we can give a more constructive data visualization that will help the recipient and the person giving the critique get the most out of the experience. You can find the article on the Our World in Data website.