US counties reporting good air quality daysSurvivor average viewership
Over 20 years from 2002 to 2022, Survivor's ratings fell with the reliability of a contestant who announces too early that they're not here to make friends. Simultaneously, the number of US counties reporting good air quality days rose steadily. The correlation is negative 0.97, implying that clean air is, statistically, bad for reality television. Environmental regulators have not updated their cost-benefit analyses to include this finding.
Good-air-quality days spiked in 2020 as lockdowns idled traffic and industry, while Survivor's viewership dropped after covid paused production and delayed seasons. The correlation isn't about television and atmosphere — it's about the same pandemic that cleared the skies also emptied the sound stages.
Progress and decline can share a trendline without sharing a cause. The air got cleaner; the show got older; the correlation got impressive. None of these facts explain any of the others.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “US counties reporting good air quality days” vs “Survivor average viewership” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.
Data Sources
US counties reporting good air quality daysepa.gov ↗
