Count on It: Numeracy, AI, and Social Mobility

Numeracy skills key for AI to be accessible to all

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded across education, work, and everyday life, strengthening numeracy skills will be essential to ensure everyone can benefit from the opportunities it presents.

Count on It: Numeracy, AI, and Social Mobility warns that, without action to improve numeracy, AI risks widening existing inequalities rather than helping to reduce them. It’s the latest report by Policy Connect, with support from KPMG UK, produced with the independent charity National Numeracy and several members of the National Numeracy Leadership Council (NNLC).

Just one in four (25%) UK adults believe good numeracy skills are needed to use AI tools, despite numeracy being essential to using AI confidently and critically. By comparison, 42% recognise the importance of literacy skills.

AI has the potential to make information and digital tools more accessible in everyday life. However, many users place a high level of trust in its outputs. Among those who have used AI tools, 77% consider them trustworthy for accuracy, even though AI can present incorrect information with the same level of confidence as correct answers. Without the numeracy skills to question and sense-check these outputs, people risk relying on inaccurate information.

The report comes as government, employers and education providers seek to prepare people for an AI-enabled economy, highlighting the urgent need to raise awareness of numeracy as a fundamental skill for the AI age.

Count on It calls for a renewed focus on numeracy throughout education, adult learning, and workplace training, positioning it as a key skill for the AI age rather than simply a maths skill.

The report sets out a series of actionable recommendations for policymakers to strengthen numeracy alongside AI capability, helping ensure the benefits of AI are shared more widely and support social mobility.

Andy Haldane, Chair of the National Numeracy Leadership Council and Patron of independent charity National Numeracy, said:

 “Information is not the same as insight. AI provides an abundance of the former but is not guaranteed to deliver the latter. And it is insight – problem-solving, critical thinking, informed decision-making – that determines whether AI transforms lives for the better. As the report sets out compellingly, numeracy skills are key to determining whether AI can deliver a genuine leap forward in insight, understanding and decision-making.”

Melissa Geiger, Chair of the Board, KPMG in the UK and Switzerland, said:

“I feel passionately that we need to equip young people, in particular, with the numeracy skills they need to thrive in the workplaces of the future and create pathways for people from all backgrounds to succeed. Without action soon, AI could continue to widen existing divides rather than serve as a tool to close them.”

Rhiannon Tuckett-Jones, Research and Strategy Manager at Policy Connect and co-author of the report, said:

“As AI becomes part of everyday life, we need to pay just as much attention to the skills people need to use it well as we do to the technology itself. Our research shows that numeracy is a critical but often overlooked foundation of AI literacy. If we want AI to expand opportunity rather than deepen existing inequalities, policymakers, educators and employers must ensure people have the confidence and skills to question, interpret and use AI critically.”

Notes to editors

About the report

Count on It: Numeracy, AI, and Social Mobility has been produced by Policy Connect for the National Numeracy Leadership Council. It examines the relationship between numeracy, artificial intelligence and social mobility, and sets out recommendations for policymakers, educators, and employers to ensure the benefits of AI are shared more widely across society.

The report draws on new nationally representative polling of UK adults alongside evidence gathered from stakeholders across education, business, and civil society.

KPMG UK funded Policy Connect to undertake this research on behalf of National Numeracy and several members of the National Numeracy Leadership Council (NNLC) and contributed views on the findings. The report is a representation of Policy Connects research and the collective views of the members of the NNLC who supported the development of the report, it does not necessarily represent the individual views of any of the organisations involved.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Victoria.Zeybrandt@policyconnect.org.uk

About National Numeracy:

National Numeracy is a charity dedicated to helping people feel confident with numbers and using everyday maths. We empower people to thrive by using numeracy to open up opportunities and access brighter futures, targeting communities where the need is greatest. National Numeracy is a registered company (company no: 7886294) and charity (charity no: 1145669). Visit: www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk

About the National Numeracy Leadership Council (NNLC): In September 2021 National Numeracy joined forces with government departments, businesses and experts to find new ways to tackle the stubborn problem of low numeracy by forming the National Numeracy Leadership Council (NNLC). Chaired by Andy Haldane, Chief Executive of the RSA and Vice-chair of National Numeracy.

About KPMG in the UK:

KPMG is trusted to make the difference for our clients, people and the communities we work in. With deep sector expertise and cutting-edge technology, we help organisations overcome their biggest challenges and unlock new opportunities.

On 1 October 2024, KPMG UK and KPMG Switzerland merged to form KPMG UK/Swiss Group, scaling our strengths and amplifying the difference we make.

KPMG International Limited is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services in 138 countries and territories. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.

About Policy Connect:

Policy Connect is a cross-party think tank. We specialise in supporting parliamentary groups, forums and commissions, delivering impactful policy research and event programmes and bringing together parliamentarians and government in collaboration with academia, business and civil society to help shape public policy in Westminster and Whitehall, so as to improve people’s lives.

Our work focusses on five key policy areas which are: Education & Skills; Industry; Sustainability; Health; and Accessibility.

We are a social enterprise and are funded by a combination of regular annual membership subscriptions and time-limited sponsorships. We are proud to be a Disability Confident and London Living Wage employer, and a member of Social Enterprise UK.