Descriptive statistics: Numerical summaries from a sample that characterize that sample without any effort to test a particular hypothesis.
Example: In a study of public awareness of Japanese government policies on organ transplantation, the abstract mentions three descriptive statistics (43.3%, 26.3%, and 61.8%). A relatively large percentage of people became aware of the issue when government actions were initiated, and many increasingly formed their own opinions on the policy in question. However, a significant number (43.3%) remained unaware of any legislative efforts, and only 26.3% of those who were aware provided positive appraisals of the policymaking process. Furthermore, a majority of respondents (61.8%) indicated unwillingness to participate in future policy discussions of bioethical issues. Public appraisal of government efforts and participation intent in medico-ethical policymaking in Japan: a large scale national survey concerning brain death and organ transplant. Source: [Sato (2005)][ref-stao-2005].