Ninety-five percent of Americans consider math important in their daily lives and work, yet many say their own skills fall short, according to a new Gallup study.
The Math Matters Study: The Value of Math in Work and Life, released in May with support from the Gates Foundation, surveyed more than 5,000 US adults and nearly 3,000 workplace managers. The findings reveal both widespread recognition of math’s importance and complex emotions about the subject.
Nearly half of Americans (47%) report exclusively positive feelings toward math — such as interest, excitement, or happiness — while 37% describe only negative emotions like confusion or boredom. Younger adults are less likely than older Americans to say math is “very important” in their personal lives: just 37% of 18- to 24-year-olds compared with 75% of those 65 and older.
Despite mixed feelings, Americans want schools to place greater emphasis on math. Six in 10 adults say K-12 schools should prioritize it more than other subjects, with 14% rating it the highest priority. Financial literacy stands out as the biggest gap, with 29% of adults wishing they had learned more about financial math, followed by data science, software, and programming.
Workforce leaders echo that concern. Eighty-five percent of managers say they wish their employees had stronger math skills, especially in financial and foundational math. More than half expect to hire more workers with data science skills in the next five years.
“Americans overwhelmingly believe math is essential in life and work, but many wish they had gained more real-world skills like data science and financial literacy,” said Justin Lall, a principal at Gallup, in the release.