You may have heard it said before that “correlation does not imply causation.” This can also be called spurious
correlation, which is defined as a correlation between two variables that does not result from a direct
relationship between them. Instead, it results from the variables’ relationship to other variables. One example is
the relationship between crime and ice cream sales. Ice cream sales and crime rates are highly correlated.
However, ice cream sales do not cause crime; instead, it is both variables’ relationship to weather and
temperature.
Do some research and find some interesting, or even funny, examples of spurious correlation. Share, cite your
source, and discuss. Why is this an example of spurious correlation? How do you know?
Sample Solution
