Four in 10 UK adults regret not taking maths more seriously at school, poll claims

Many admit they avoid helping children with homework because they 'know' they will struggle

(Three Lions/Getty Images)

Potentially millions of British adults regret not taking maths more seriously at a younger age, a poll has found.

A total of 43 per cent of the 2,000 adults admitted to wishing that they concentrated more on the subject when they were at school.

Others said they wished finances, numeracy and budgeting had been a bigger part of their life at home and school when they were younger to avoid difficulty later on in life.

Four in 10 of the parents who took part in the study even admitted they avoided helping their children with maths homework because they “know” they will struggle.

As a result only one in five said they felt “very confident” when helping their kids with secondary school maths work.

Fear of numbers also appears to have a knock-on effect with household finances, as 40 percent of respondents did not feel fully confident with everyday budgeting and money management.

The younger generation are particularly appeared particularly susceptible to this problem, with Generation Z (18-24) having the least confidence when it came to money management, followed by millennials (24-38).

“We should all be concerned about the amount of young people who do not feel in control of their finances," said Nathan Bostock, chief executive of Santander UK, which commissioned the research.

SWNS