The Data Explosion Is Making Young People Anxious. What Can Businesses Do to Ease Their Data Distress

Gen Z is drinking data from a digital firehose.

The first digitally native generation - those born between 1997 and 2012 - Generation Z is bearing the brunt of a data explosion that's expanded to the point that nobody truly knows how much we are creating, sharing, and consuming. All we know, despite estimates dating back more than a decade, is that it's getting harder and harder for people to wrap their heads around the massive amount of digital information landing in their inboxes, Slack channels, and web browsers each day. And all that data is stressing out even the most technically literate young people among us.

Fortunately, educators, leaders, and organizations are making new resources available every day to help alleviate this anxiety and find ways to empower younger generation to use data to solve problems and live better lives - a trend that will need to continue because the data literacy problem isn't going away.

Need proof?

In a recent survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Tableau and Salesforce, more than half of Gen Z respondents (51%) said they feel overwhelmed by all of the personal data (such as financial and healthcare information) available to them, compared to 47% of millennials, 39% of Generation X respondents, and 42% of baby boomers. Overall, dealing with data has become so stressful for the various generations that 52% of Americans would rather read a history book than analyze their personal data, the study found.

Overall, dealing with data has become so stressful for the various generations that 52% of Americans would rather read a history book than analyze their personal data, the study found.

Courtney Totten, Director, Data Skills & Academic Programs, Tableau

If people are so overwhelmed by data in their personal lives, then it's likely that many would have similar anxiety dealing with all of the data coming their way at work. This isn't unique to Gen Z. As the director of data skills and academic programs for Tableau, I can attest that most people these days - myself (Gen X) included - struggle to not only read and consume but analyze and act upon data. It's one of the most common pain points we come across with our customers, and we advise them that the only solution is to hit the issue head-on through data literacy programs. In this data-driven world, you need to be able to explore, understand, and communicate with your data in a meaningful way to make smart and effective decisions. But creating data literacy and a culture of data at your organization can be a huge task, regardless of how well-versed you and your staff already are in data.

At Salesforce, we believe everyone can - and should be - ‌a data person. Tableau, as a platform, helps with this by empowering workers to manage, visualize, and act on their data. Through trusted AI-powered insights, it bridges gaps between data overload and data action. What's more, because Tableau doesn't require any coding experience to learn and use, we believe it will be a common tool in workplaces everywhere before long.

How can young people overcome data overload?

As a team, we're also focused on helping people get a basic understanding of data because we know the requirement to use it at work will only increase over time. Similarly, we know teaching someone how to make sense of data isn't easy. But if you recognize that it's like learning a foreign language, ‌education can go much faster.

For instance, just like with foreign languages, the earlier you start educating people about how to use data, the more likely it is that it will become second nature for them. Also, the odds of success exponentially increase when you make learning fun by tying it to something people care about - like a pending trip - or gamifying the experience and offering rewards for accomplishments.

Also, the odds of success exponentially increase when you make learning fun by tying it to something people care about - like a pending trip - or gamifying the experience and offering rewards for accomplishments.

Courtney Totten, Director, Data Skills & Academic Programs, Tableau

Some companies and educational institutions have already caught on to this. For example, with the help of Tableau, Nanyang Girls' High School in Singapore has incorporated data literacy into the curriculum for students in year seven. As part of this program, students create and tell stories with Tableau dashboards and are encouraged to work with real datasets that relate to issues they're passionate about - such as housing prices, global warming, and gender disparities.

And recently, students in the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program at University of Washington's Foster School of Business calculated climate risk by creating an interactive data visualization on Tableau with publicly available data from sources like the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This helped students develop data-driven decision-making and risk management skills while they explored the future viability of hyperscale data centers in Eastern Washington - a serious concern due to the increasing risk of wildfires in the area.

Additionally, those looking to improve their data literacy have more trainings, tools, and resources available than ever before - many of them free. As part of Tableau's mission to train 10 million people with data skills by 2027, we offer several self-paced courses and guides. In partnership with Tableau, Coursera also offers an 8-course series to take students from zero experience to analyst in eight months.

Academic institutions and businesses need to increase their support of data literacy

While we're seeing some investment from companies and educational institutions in building data analytics courses, even more can be done to integrate data literacy into existing curricula so students can get used to analyzing data in real-world scenarios. There are more than 254 million students in universities and colleges worldwide, but the vast majority enter higher education without fundamental data literacy.

We must address the data literacy gap much earlier in students' academic lives by introducing data concepts to kids as early as elementary school and updating their knowledge throughout their middle and high school years.

We must address the data literacy gap much earlier in students' academic lives by introducing data concepts to kids as early as elementary school and updating their knowledge throughout their middle and high school years.

Courtney Totten, Director, Data Skills & Academic Programs, Tableau

Any business that has anything to do with data also needs to recognize the importance of having a data-literate workforce. Thousands of decisions are made every day in the workplace. Employees who struggle to identify the stories, patterns, and insights behind company data will make these decisions based on information they don't understand -‌ driving their businesses in the wrong direction.

There are three keys to a corporate data literacy program that all businesses must prioritize:

1. Training. Organizations must commit to ensuring employees have access to the necessary educational resources and software platforms. This means that from the moment someone is hired until the day they leave an organization, employees are constantly honing their data literacy skills so they can apply them in their day-to-day workflows.
2. Time. Businesses need to invest in encouraging employees to go through the courses - and protecting their time to do so - so they can get practice in a low-stakes environment. These opportunities build confidence, and confidence relieves anxiety.
3. Access to data. Too often, businesses gatekeep the data employees need to make smart, strategic decisions. By offering data novices the opportunity to analyze data that is safe to learn with, businesses can motivate their employees to make a tangible impact while avoiding overwhelm.

Data knowledge is freedom

Data is central to just about everything today, from work to politics to our digital interactions. Everyone, especially young people just embarking on their careers, must have a basic understanding of how to look at, question, understand, and tell stories with data.

And while no one is immune to data anxiety - it happens to all of us - the ability to understand what data is saying gives us the confidence to get from analysis paralysis to making strong, data-informed decisions.

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