Study reveals data anxiety remains high despite rising skills

A recent study has found that while the reliance on data in professional environments has increased, many workers still struggle with data confidence and experience anxiety when engaging with complex information.

The "Beyond the numbers: how data storytelling redefines communication" report draws on survey responses from more than 2,400 marketing and sales professionals across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, highlighting a persistent gap between data dependency and data competence within business teams.

The findings show that 89% of professionals are required to work with data or spreadsheets each week, yet over a quarter (27%) admit to actively avoiding such tasks. This avoidance, the report suggests, can have substantial consequences for organisations, particularly for sales and marketing departments that rely on data to craft messages for internal stakeholders and customers.

Despite a growing organisational emphasis on data literacy, gaps remain. In the United Kingdom, 44% of organisations offer data literacy training, but 78% of professionals still report experiencing data anxiety and 27% continue to avoid working with data.

While 82% of UK respondents state they feel confident with data, only 42% maintain their confidence when faced with data-heavy tasks. Furthermore, though 75% believe they are proficient in analysing and interpreting data, many encounter issues: 46% struggle with spreadsheet formulas and 42% find it difficult to interpret complex spreadsheets. Errors in spreadsheet work were reported to have a direct impact on productivity and outcomes.

Businesses are increasingly data-driven, with 77% of professionals indicating that their reliance on data has grown in the past two years. Additionally, 89% confirm they handle data or spreadsheets weekly, and 80% report they are now expected to be data literate in their professional roles.

The report indicates that the need for data storytelling—the ability to transform data into coherent, engaging narratives—has become crucial for modern teams. The survey shows that 82% of professionals are more confident presenting with visualised data and 89% believe that data visualisations enhance their credibility when communicating insights.

The transition from raw data to effective storytelling is not always straightforward. Nearly half of respondents (47%) find it difficult to switch between different data tools, creating friction and inefficiencies. However, there is significant interest in solutions that simplify the data process, with 88% expressing willingness to adopt easier-to-use data visualisation tools.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and more modern data tools are seen as key enablers for improving workplace data skills. According to the report, 75% of professionals believe AI can help them by automating tedious data tasks and generating effective data visualisations. Nonetheless, respondents also indicated ongoing concerns about the trustworthiness, accuracy and creative impact of AI-generated outputs.

"Working with data shouldn't be confined to specialists. When you give teams the right tools and training to turn numbers into narratives, you can unlock so much potential in an organisation," Duncan Clark, Head of EMEA at Canva and co-founder of Flourish, a Canva company, commented on the findings.

"The goal isn't to make everyone a data scientist, but to empower teams to confidently make sense of the data at their disposal and turn it into compelling, engaging stories, whether it's for internal presentations or external content. Data alone doesn't move people, but stories do – so that's what we should focus on," Clark further noted.

Data storytelling, based on the report, is regarded not just as an optional skill but as a business imperative. The report outlines that teams with the abilities to visualise campaign results or present data-backed insights are better positioned to support sound organisational decisions and foster measurable growth.

The research was conducted via a survey commissioned by Canva through Pure Spectrum, gathering input from marketing and sales professionals in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, India and Japan.