Out of frustration with what is missing in the current crop of indexes, a number of community groups around the United States have begun monitoring and measuring life in new ways. Much of this measurement infatuation happens because it can. Computers and the Internet create and spread data like never before. But measurements, by their very nature, have shortcomings, which any statistician will point out. They often reveal averages and medians that are true overall, but not individually.
Many educators worry that the goal of education is becoming too focused on test scores.
As a result, many other important aspects of learning, including the individuality of each child, are being lost. Similarly, some see dangers in the political arena as a result of the growing reliance on polls. California's Gov. Gray Davis, for example, is often held up as a model new politician because of his centrist positions. Indeed, if the public yearns for bold new ideas from its politicians, polls may threaten that very outcome, say analysts. But what about ideas that are complicated and take longer to gain appeal, critics wonder.