Final answer:
The statement is false because using percentages, as opposed to counts, can facilitate more effective comparisons, especially when comparing data sets with differing totals.
Step-by-step explanation:
When comparing data in tables, using percentages can be useful, especially when the totals of the sets being compared are not the same. For instance, comparing the percentage of part-time students at two colleges provides a clearer picture when their total enrollments are different. It's true that displaying absolute counts is important for understanding the size of the values, but percentages allow for a direct comparison of proportions which can be particularly insightful. In cases where categories are not mutually exclusive and percentages total more or less than 100 percent, a bar graph may be more appropriate than a pie chart. Comparing percentages is often easier when you're dealing with diverse data sets, as it normalizes the data.
Considering that using percentages aids in comparing relative sizes of different categories, the statement "Using percentages in tables, as opposed to counts, makes it difficult for readers to make effective comparisons quickly." is false.