I saw this data representation called “Map of Misery” on the Economist recently, which shows the change in suicide rates in the United States.
Using county-level CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) data on the nearly half a million 25- to 64-year-old Americans who committed suicide between 1999 and 2016, the scientists calculated the expected number of suicides for each city. Then compared these expected values calculated from the past with the observed suicide rates to show whether the suicide rates increased or decreased.
The goal of this data presentation is to alarm people about the rising suicide rates in the U.S. The Economist article I read mentions that more than 48,000 Americans had taken their own lives in 2018, equivalent to 14.2 deaths per 100,000 population. This makes suicide the tenth-biggest cause of death in the United States—deadlier than traffic accidents and homicide. With these facts and the data presentation, the author of the article wants to raise concern about the climbing suicide rates and show the geographical distribution.
Another goal of the data presentation is to draw attention to correlations between suicide rates and geographical factors, such as ease of access to guns, deprivation, opportunities for social interactions, loneliness.
I think the “Map of Misery” does create a depressive mood for the audience, yet fails to have an alarming effect. If the use of colors were reversed and the higher suicide rates were depicted in red, the map could look more alarming and be more effective in raising an immediate concern.