In fact

 
December 20, 2002

53 per cent of Jamaicans believe the country would have been better off had it remained a British colony. [The Economist, 17th October 2002]

44 per cent of the UK population still live within the local authority in which they were born. But only 12 per cent of graduates do. [Performance and Innovation Unit]

Since 1945, there have been more than twice as many global female heads of government from the political right than from the left. [The Guardian, 28th October 2002]

Only 5 per cent of British advertising spending is aimed at people over 50, who are responsible for more than 45 per cent of disposable income. [Financial Times, 5th October 2002]

New Zealand and the UK are two of the few countries in which a majority of married couples practising family planning opt for male rather than female sterilisation. [Earth Policy Institute]

Since the introduction of the euro in 2000, Britain's share of total foreign direct investment into the EU has fallen from 52 per cent to 24 per cent. [Centre for Economic Performance]

The prophet Muhammad engaged in 78 battles, only one of which was defensive. [Commentary, November 2002]

More than 45 per cent of Iranians believe that US policy on Iran is "to some extent correct." [Iranian National Institute for Research Studies]

In 2001, for the first time in 10 years, tax collections in the UK-at 37.4 per cent of national income-were higher than in Germany (36.4 per cent). [OECD]

Ethnic minority children make up a majority of pupils in inner London state primary schools. [Working Capital, Routledge, 2001]

In 2001, British consumers spent 57 per cent more on computer games than they did on visiting the cinema. [European Leisure Software Publishers Association]