Data Literacy: The Results Are In

In this blog, we have had a great chance to explore the definition of what data literacy is and discuss the culture around data literacy. It is one thing for us to continually write about it and define it, and it is another for us to jump into some numbers and see what others are saying about data literacy and what it does for them in their workforce and careers.

A recent study by Qlik on data literacy, looked at over 5,000 people spread throughout Europe and the numbers confirm the data literacy skills gap and are very pertinent to the topic at hand. When we think of data literacy, sometimes the question can be asked: why does this matter? Well, for starters, the survey found that only 17% of those who took the survey felt data literate. That is a very low number. That means that over 4,000 people who took the survey did not feel data literate. With the vast amount of data organizations and individuals are now seeing, this is a worrisome number. Does this number really matter?

A strong link that was found was between data literacy and job performance shows just one of the many reasons this topic matters. Over three-quarters of those surveyed who said they were data literate, felt they were performing very well at work, while under half of those who were not data literate felt they were performing very well at work. With the growing data that organizations are taking in, without data literacy this gap could expand.

Along with these numbers, the survey found that 90% of people who utilize data in their jobs felt it helped them do their jobs better. That could help explain the over three-quarters number above. Along with this high percentage, 76% of people surveyed felt that if they were more data literate, they would have credibility at work. These are two very high numbers that show data literacy is important in the world today, and with the vast amounts of data, it appears to not be slowing down.

Beyond defining data literacy, we wanted to show that it is a topic that is speaking volumes to many people. Looking at these numbers we can see a definite gap that exists, but we can also see a bright hope and future for those working towards data literacy.

If you are interested in finding out your own data personality and level of data literacy, take the quiz to see where you stand.