What percentage of Americans have a bathtub?

Answer 1

The question is simple and eminently sensible but under the surface lies a hidden minefield. The answer probably depends on what you are trying to measure and why.

If I, my wide and three children live in a house with one bathtub in it, the ratio of bathtubs to people is 1/5 or 20%. Is that the percentage you want? In practice (and barring family warfare!), 100% of the family has access to a bathtub, so is that the appropriate percentage?

The problem gets even worse if we were rich enough to have two bathtubs in our house. Then the ratio become 2 bathtubs per 5 people: so is that 40%? Or is it 100% since all of as (as before) have access to a bathtub? Or, since we have twice as many as in the first scenario, 200%?

So, if it is not simple to answer this [simple] question for a family of 5, what hope do you have with millions of families?