AIDS Rate Correlations in Fairfield County Connecticut
When studying correlations between AIDS rates in Fairfield County, Connecticut against a variety of variables, it becomes clear that many different factors are related to the heightened AIDS rates in different cities and towns. The variables studied range from percent white, and SAT Verbal scores, to drug abuse violations. Correlations almost always exceed the required statistically significant level of .423 (calculated with a sample size of 22 towns and a selected confidence interval of 95%) (Table of Critical Values). By examining data, scatter plots, and shaded maps of the area, several towns stand out as having particularly high AIDS rates and equally elevated (or, in some cases, lowered) levels of societal variables that are likely indicators as to why the disease plagues those districts in particular. Among these, Bridgeport is often a substantial outlier and was removed from calculations on several occasions (though it is indicated in the particular paragraphs in which that takes place) to reveal a more appropriate statistic for the data set.