Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Model-Based Forecast Means of Suicides and Homicides


Since the data for both time series—annual gun-related suicides and homicides--show neither a linear trend nor seasonality, the data are best described as a local level model, or a random walk with errors.

For 2005 (1 year out), the model-based forecast mean for gun-related suicides is 0.958, with 95% confidence interval (0.231, 1.685), and the model-based forecast mean for gun-related homicides is 0.196, with 95% confidence interval (-0.120, 0.512).

For 2014 (10 years beyond the last time point of the model), the model-based forecast mean for gun-related suicides is 0.958, the same as that for 2005, but with a larger 95% confidence interval (-0.420, 2.335). Similarly, the 2014 model-based forecast mean for gun-related homicides is 0.958, the same as that for 2005, but with larger 95% confidence interval (-0.185, 0.577).

In my previous post, my predictions had unrealistically tighter bounds for 2005 and 2014: 0.8 suicides with 95% confidence interval (0.7, 0.9) and 0.15 homicides, with 95% confidence interval (0.1, 0.2).

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