By Ian Broughton, Manager, Office of Child Support (OCS) Planning, Evaluation, and Analysis Section
If you know me, you know that I love to travel. When I’m planning a trip, I use multiple sources of data and analytics for my decision making. I might consult TripAdvisor reviews to check out lodging or activities. I can look at restaurant ratings, reviews, and even filter by type of cuisine or meal. I also analyze historical flight price trends to help determine the best time to purchase tickets. I want my travel experience to be the best it can be, so I take advantage of the available data created by others.
We use statistics and analytics every day to make decisions in our lives.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3IIFpp41azJkCV_cIutOE8kuiY4KQsiB3cwbo0LRsiFeN7-nXfFf4-2GeJskSzV3l3CIcI9i3Yld0nBUSXzt9e-IlZ5Nu7unvt3CpLehXbZzq2H3CoDpe-wUbw4rVJwhYxevGDgqQxhi/s400/broughton+stats+1.png) |
Visualization example: Michigan child support cases by assistance type. |
But of course, the statistics we use in the work we do for the children and families in Michigan is far more important than where we stay on a trip. That said, we must continue to improve our access to the information we need to make decisions in the child support program.