It's funny that you don't realize you are doing the same thing; you are giving the absolute change like the article is doing; you are just doing the change in the rate instead of the underlying quantity. A 4% change in my rate if the original rate is 4% would be a 100% rate rate change, which of course is substantial.

So the rate goes from say 4% to 4.16%? That's still unimpressive.

If you mean from 4% to 8%, then that's actually raising by 100%

Mortgage rates have gone up 8% just since February.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MORTGAGE30US