Canva Study Reveals Data Paradox: 89% of Professionals Work with Data Weekly, Yet Two-Thirds Experience Data Anxiety

Global survey of more than 2,400 marketing and sales professionals reveals that while data dependency is growing, data competence lags, hindering productivity.

• 66% are anxious about data, while 30% go so far as to avoid it

• 89% have to work with data or spreadsheets weekly

• 77% want to improve their effectiveness with data

• 74% say data reliance in their workplace has increased in the last two years

• 76% are optimistic that AI can support their data-related work

Canva, the world’s only all-in-one visual communication platform, released “Beyond the numbers: how data storytelling redefines communication” a report revealing a critical workplace challenge: while data has become indispensable to business operations, key external-facing teams like sales and marketing struggle to confidently translate complex insights into compelling narratives. This hampers productivity, contributes to data errors, heightens workplace anxiety, and ultimately prevents teams from unlocking the full power of the insights available.

Based on responses from more than 2,400 marketing and sales professionals spanning North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the report uncovers why traditional approaches to working with data are failing modern teams and the strategic opportunity business leaders have to invest in data storytelling skills that drive impact.

The top global findings include:

A confidence-competence gap hinders productivity

• 77% claim confidence working with data, yet only 44% feel confident when starting a data heavy task
• 75% feel confident analyzing and interpreting data, yet 57% make spreadsheet errors that impact their work:
  • 39% struggle with formulas
  • 36% have difficulty interpreting complex spreadsheets
  • 35% find analysis challenging
• Despite 83% of organizations providing data literacy training, 66% still experience data anxiety
• 30% actively avoid data work altogether despite recognizing its value

This avoidance can significantly impact business outcomes, especially for marketing and sales teams who need data to shape narratives that resonate with internal stakeholders, existing customers, and potential buyers.

Data storytelling is essential but challenging

Data now drives more decisions than ever, with organizations increasingly dependent on insights to stay competitive.

• 74% report increased organizational reliance on data in the last two years
• 82% say they’re expected to be data literate in their roles
• 89% work with data and spreadsheets weekly
• 83% feel more confident presenting when using data visualizations
• 88% say data visualizations enhance credibility
• 30% still struggle to create effective data visualizations

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As organizations continue to amass more data, the ability to transform numbers into engaging narratives has shifted from a specialized skill to a critical business capability.

AI and modern data tools are key to closing the gap

The traditional approach to data tooling is failing modern teams, creating friction and confusion rather than an intuitive path to rich data-powered narratives.

• 44% find it difficult to switch between different data tools
• 85% likely to adopt easier-to-use data visualization tools
• 53% willing to invest up to three hours learning new solutions
• 76% believe AI can improve their ability to work with data by automating tedious tasks and suggesting effective data visualizations, but many still have concerns over trust, accuracy, and AI’s impact on creativity

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Forward-looking leaders are investing in tools tailor-made for visual data work and are prioritizing data literacy across teams, recognizing that marketing and sales professionals have only begun to tap into data’s full organizational potential.

“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,” said Duncan Clark, Head of EMEA at Canva, and co-founder of Flourish, a Canva company. “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.”

Data storytelling isn’t merely a competitive advantage, it’s a business imperative. When teams can effectively visualize campaign performance or present data-backed customer insights, organizations make smarter decisions and can drive measurable growth. “Beyond the numbers: how data storytelling redefines communication” provides leaders with a blueprint on how to work with data effectively.

Discover how leading organizations are closing the confidence-competence gap and empowering teams to master data storytelling in the full report here. For those looking to take the next step, new Canva tools like Canva Sheets and our latest data visualization features offer practical ways to bring these insights to life.