UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — From the daily weather forecast to a baseball player’s batting average to an individual’s risk of developing lung cancer, understanding statistics can help people in the United States navigate their lives, according to Mark Ramos , assistant research professor of health policy and administration at Penn State. However, more than half of adults in the U.S. reported knowing little or nothing about basic statistical concepts, according to a recent study led by Ramos.
In the study, published in PLOS One , the researchers analyzed nationally representative survey data and found that 62% of respondents reported no or limited statistical knowledge while only 11% regularly use statistics in daily life. Despite the perceived knowledge gap, most respondents also reported they would rely on statistics for decision-making more if they understood the topic better.
“While statistics are not hard to understand, they are even easier to misunderstand,” Ramos said. “Fortunately, concepts in statistics are grounded in intuition and rationality. So, a basic but thoughtful introduction to these concepts can help people understand their own thinking better.”
At the 2025 Joint Statistical Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, a market-research and survey company solicited questions from attendees to include in a nationwide survey given to a representative sample of the U.S. population. Ramos and his co-author, Samuel Anyaso-Samuel, postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, submitted two questions that were used in this survey: “How much do you understand about statistics and p-values?” and “How often would you base decisions on reported statistics if you understood it better?” Ramos and Anyaso-Samuel analyzed the responses to these questions for this study.
Of the 1,000 people surveyed, one-quarter reported that they had no understanding of statistics, while 37% reported limited familiarity. Slightly more than one-quarter said they had learned some statistics in school.
This does not mean that people do not believe statistics matter, Ramos said. Nine out of 10 participants said they would use statistics more if they possessed more understanding.
“Understanding and evaluating the quality of evidence should be within reach of any interested citizen,” Ramos said. “Statistical literacy is critical when research is invoked in news reports, social media or policy debates that affect people’s lives.”
The survey specifically asked whether people understood p-values. In research, a p-value is a tool for understanding a study's results. In simplified terms, the smaller the p-value, the greater the statistical evidence, according to Ramos.
"Statistics does not provide certainty," Ramos said. "Rather, it works with the uncertainty present in nature and society to provide a reasonable approach for making decisions. The better people understand that concept, the more they can learn when to trust or mistrust the statistical evidence they read. Taking the time and effort to learn about statistics can help a person become a more informed consumer of science.”
For people who are interested in statistics, Ramos said there are many excellent free resources available. He noted that Penn State provides the course materials for STAT 200: Elementary Statistics online as a free educational resource, even to people who are not enrolled in the class.
PLOS One
Data/statistical analysis
People
Self-reported perception of statistical literacy: Evidence from a National Survey of U.S. Adults
24-Jun-2026