Why I’m Passionate about Numeracy
By John Griffith-Jones, Chair StepChange Debt Charity
All my life, I have been a numbers person. It’s informed my career and I recognise I’ve been a lucky recipient of the positives a mind for maths can bring. Yet being a “natural numbers person” isn’t the way lots of us feel about ourselves — even though numeracy can make us savvier, better off and more in control. Breaking down barriers and negative feelings about maths and making it feel more manageable is where National Numeracy Day comes in.
For some, maths represents a terrifying memory of exams past, and remains a tool in the arsenal of others, something they’d prefer to stay away from where possible.
For others, numeracy is something they’ve let fall by the wayside — perhaps because their job doesn’t require it, or their partner deals with the bills.
For too many, maths is something for others, not for them.
But I, StepChange, and National Numeracy, organisations I am proudly the Chair and Vice-Chair of respectively, want to change that.
Championing National Numeracy Day
Before I became StepChange Chair in January, the debt charity had already become a Champion for the 2018 National Numeracy Day. I am proud to say that both organisations are also working together this year to promote the benefits better numeracy can bring.
StepChange recognises that numeracy is an important tool in the fight against problem debt. Per day, StepChange will deal with an average of 2000 people. According to National Numeracy statistics, around 1000 of those people will have “poor or low” numeracy skills. Allowing more people to become “numbers people” provides them with a key tool to bolster their financial health.
In fact, it’s not just our own finances we improve when our numeracy levels go up — a lack of numeracy skills costs the UK economy £20.2 billion a year. When combined with the wider cost of problem debt to the economy of £897 million, the massive impact this issue is having is apparent.
I genuinely believe that, if we as a country collectively become more comfortable around numbers, tackling the endemic of problem debt becomes much easier.
The Fight Against Problem Debt
Before I explain why tackling problem debt and increasing the national numeracy rates go hand in hand, I feel it imperative to lodge a disclaimer. Improving the numeracy of everyone in the UK is not a silver bullet to problem debt.
If we could magically bestow numerical skill upon each and every person in the UK, as wonderful as that may be, it would not single-handedly tackle the issue of problem debt. It is a deep-rooted and multi-faceted problem, for which there are undoubtedly varied and challenging causes.
But it certainly would help.
On a basic level, numeracy is key in creating a budget. Budget creation is often the first step towards getting one’s finances under control.
The first hurdle is always the hardest, and the idea of sitting down and calculating income against expenditure is, for some, a truly terrifying idea.
But what if we lived in a world where everyone felt comfortable totting up the numbers? The difference that makes could be huge.
For individuals at risk of falling into problem debt, it would potentially allow for them to identify issues earlier, and thus avoid an unmanageable situation. Early intervention would be easier with a population of numbers people who can recognise when the sums just aren’t adding up.
For those already in problem debt, more comfort around maths can relieve strains and offer a feeling of control. Mental health issues and debt are inextricably linked, and so any opportunity to alleviate pressures from for those on a journey to become debt free is important.
Living in a Numerical World
Self-improvement of numeracy is not just a sword with which to tackle our debt problems however — it can also be a shield against being taken advantage of.
In my time as Chair of the FCA, I witnessed a tendency amongst many of the organisations people deal with in their financial lives to presume that everyone is already a numbers person.
Financial firms, the benefits system, utilities and telecoms providers, and local authorities all present us with figures, which not all of us really understand.
In an ideal world of course, firms would publish their information as clearly as possible for all customers, no matter their ability. StepChange, among many others, has been calling on firms to do this for a long while and there is still much that can be done. But it is equally important to equip everyone with the numeracy skills so that they have the confidence and ability to understand and control their own financial affairs.
Tackling the Problem
So this National Numeracy Day, how can you help?
On a personal level, you can take some time out of your day to complete the National Numeracy Challenge. This will allow you to check your numeracy skills, and see what the next steps you can take are. Once you have completed the Challenge, pass on the link to your friends and family, employees and employers, and ask them to do the same.
On a macro level, there is much more that can be done. For example, ensuring your workplace is an environment that prizes self-improvement is a great first step. People shouldn’t be afraid to admit their weaknesses and take the advice they need to improve their numeracy.
Employers can also run programmes designed to encourage people to better engage with numeracy, highlighting how it benefits each field, whether that be accounting and auditing or the less obvious like marketing or policy. These kinds of projects will not only benefit people on an individual level, but also your organisation on a wider basis.
I am an unashamed and passionate advocate of the power of numbers, and not only because I’ve been lucky enough to make my career out of them. Becoming a ‘numbers person’ greatly benefits both oneself, and those around us.
So this National Numeracy Day, don’t let maths be something for someone else. Begin your journey to making maths work for you.
