Now, just in time for Easter, a scholar has produced the data to match the perception.
There is however a growing public interest in science and in the people producing the data.
So too we might conclude in Brighton and Hove, unless the local authority can produce the data to prove otherwise.
"If we are part of the European Union we are part of a powerhouse that can produce the data.
The way we work is trusted; to produce the data, convey the results and expect they will have influence on policy making," he says.
Very few people beyond the community of climate scientists producing the data can claim any real authority with regard to the underlying facts themselves.
The report found that class rankings were also overstated, although the methodology used to produce the data was not clear.
It also funded Carbon Tracker, which produced the data showing the majority of fossil fuels must stay in the ground to avoid a climate catastrophe, and350.org, the campaign group founded by Bill McKibben, which has championed the divestment cause.
Among other things, the directive prevents political appointees from publicly commenting on sensitive economic indicators until at least an hour after the professionals who produce the data have had a chance to explain the findings.
