A new study led by Penn State researcher Mark Ramos reveals that 62% of U.S. adults report little or no understanding of basic statistical concepts, with only 11% regularly using statistics in daily life. Published in PLOS One, the research analyzed nationally representative survey data from 1,000 respondents collected at the 2025 Joint Statistical Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. One-quarter of participants reported no understanding of statistics, while 37% reported limited familiarity.

Despite this knowledge gap, nine out of 10 participants said they would rely on statistics for decision-making more if they understood the topic better. Ramos, an assistant research professor of health policy and administration, collaborated with co-author Samuel Anyaso-Samuel, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, to submit survey questions on statistical understanding and p-values.

Ramos emphasized that statistical literacy is critical for evaluating evidence in news, social media, and policy debates. He noted that concepts are grounded in intuition and rationality, and highlighted free resources like Penn State’s STAT 200: Elementary Statistics course materials available online.