Threshold placement matters more where population density is highest on the curve

Evidence

The extent of these differences depends on two basic factors. The first is the slope of the line where the poverty line is drawn and the second is empirically the number of people located in that region. With heavily skewed data—which is what most poverty and GDP per capita show—as one moves to lower the line, the bigger the impact of the poverty line on robustness. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts and Measurement, 669

Categorization

• QUESTION: How far does this generalize—does any threshold metric (credit ratings, exam cutoffs, diagnostic criteria) inherit this vulnerability in proportion to local density?
• SEED: Angle: ‘The vulnerability of the cut-point’—why policy set by a line is most fragile exactly where most people sit.