There are times when it pays to be over 55.... (from Education - bbc.co.uk.)
UK adults fail child's maths test
The survey suggests basic numeracy skills are on the decline.
One in 14 adults cannot answer a maths question aimed at eight-year-old children, a survey suggests. And the poll of 2,000 adults for ITV DVD found that more 18-25-year-olds were unable to answer the question than those aged 55 plus.
The question was: What is one eighth of 32? The answers were: a) 6 b) 4c) 2 d) 8 e) None of these f) Don't know.
Schools secretary Ed Balls has just announced an inquiry into the way children are taught maths. His announcement follows concerns that too many school leavers are unable to add up.
The survey found that basic numeracy skills are on the decline, with 96% of those aged 55-plus able to answer a "simple" maths question, taken from an eight-year-old's maths paper, correctly - compared with 88% of those aged 18-25. The research was undertaken by ITV DVD to mark the DVD release of pre-school television programme Numberjacks: Calling All Agents!, which encourages children to develop key numerical skills.
The survey also showed that parents are starting to realise the extent to which pre-school learning helps later in life. It found that 74% of adults believe watching educational programmes as a young child helps learning.
For any children under the age of eight, the correct answer is X.