Conclusion

This report includes the findings from a literature review, commissioned by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), to establish the current landscape of statistical literacy research.

The first section of the report covered existing definitions of statistical literacy. There appears to be no consensus on how exactly statistical literacy should be defined but there are some commonly used components including foundational abilities, knowledge of statistical concepts, and critical thinking. An alternative approach for future attempts at defining statistical literacy may be to consider first the context where the definition will be applied and then specify the components required for statistical literacy in that context.

The second section covered evidence on how researchers have attempted to measure components related to statistical literacy. Great variability was observed amongst the general public, in the skills that are linked to statistical literacy. Studies often found that skill level was influenced substantially by demographic factors such as age, gender, and education. No evidence was found that aimed to capture the multidimensional nature of statistical literacy.

The third section outlined evidence on the topic of statistical communication, including research on how to communicate effectively to non-specialist audiences to maximise understanding and engagement. A wide range of recommendations were identified on how to best communicate statistics to non-specialist audiences. The evidence base should be considered when deciding whether to apply these recommendations to statistical communication. The examples of relevant OSR correspondence were largely aligned with the findings of the review although relevant correspondence could not be found for all topics.

Lastly, the review explored actions taken in the UK and internationally to improve statistical literacy and statistical communication. Multiple initiatives, of varied scale, were identified in the statistical literacy space, although some of the initiatives had little information about them available online. It may be beneficial to gain further information about these initiatives to benefit future work. No work was detected during the review process that aimed to connect these different initiatives. Therefore, this may be a fruitful future endeavour to share learnings across groups.

This research was commissioned to shape OSR’s future work on statistical literacy. The findings from the review provide an evidence base that will support OSR in developing its public position on statistical literacy and guide future regulatory work.