Young Swedes have poor mathematics skills.
According to a new study by the Swedish Quality Index on behalf of Finansinspektionen (the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority), the gaps in knowledge that young adults have in mathematics seriously affect their future health and wellbeing.
If you’re bad at math in your youth, it will continue to harm you when you’re older. A study ordered by Finansinspektionen, FI, (the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority) and executed by Svenskt Kvalitetsindex (EPSI Rating), shows that poor math skills are difficult to fix later in life, which in turn will influence a person’s economy, health and thereby quality of life.
The Swedish government has asked Finansinspektionen to contribute to increased math proficiency. The report indicates that the Swedish schools must focus on mathematics, as Swedes are already lagging behind in this area.
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Within the age group 18-29 years math knowledge is at such a low level that they are in line with the oldest pensioners, the report Räknefärdighet och finansiell förmåga says ("Numeracy and financial literacy among Swedish adults").
Per Arne Ström, coordinator of knowledge questions at FI, believes that the study highlights the need to engage more in mathematics teaching in schools. Students must simply be given a better grounding in personal finance.
For more info, see Finansinspektionen
Svenskt Kvalitetsindex
Remember our article about Intize, the math project where a student at Chalmers started offering free math classes in the evenings to high school students: Political correctness at a time of change
