Study Reveals Global Creativity Gap | Adobe 'State of Create' global benchmark study

One of the myths of creativity is that very few people are really creative. The truth is that everyone has great capacities but not everyone develops them. One of the problems is that too often our educational systems don’t enable students to develop their natural creative powers. Instead, they promote uniformity and standardization. The result is that we're draining people of their creative possibilities and, as this study reveals, producing a workforce that's conditioned to prioritize conformity over creativity.

Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., an internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation, made that comment in response (emphasis added) to the survey findings announced in this Adobe news release. 

The following findings were placed last in the news release, without any heading highlighting them. Yet they point to needed steps, however vague, to reduce the creativity gap:

Four in 10 people believe that they do not have the tools or access to tools to create. Creative tools are perceived as the biggest driver to increase creativity (65% globally, 76% in the United States), and technology is recognized for its ability to help individuals overcome creative limitations (58% globally, 60% in the United States) and provide inspiration (53% globally, 62% in the United States).

Other findings, in the workplace:

The study reveals a workplace creativity gap, where 75% of respondents said they are under growing pressure to be productive rather than creative, despite the fact that they are increasingly expected to think creatively on the job. Across all of the countries surveyed, people said they spend only 25% of their time at work creating. Lack of time is seen as the biggest barrier to creativity (47% globally, 52% in United States).

In schools:

More than half of those surveyed feel that creativity is being stifled by their education systems, and many believe creativity is taken for granted (52% globally, 70% in the United States).

In the United States:

The United States ranked globally as the second most creative nation [after Japan] among the countries surveyed, except in the eyes of Americans, who see themselves as the most creative. Yet Americans also expressed the greatest sense of urgency and concern that they are not living up to their creative potential (United States at 82%, vs. the lowest level of concern in Germany at 64%).

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This news releases is featured today, Feb. 18, in my daily online paper, Garbl's Creativity Connections, available at the Creativity tab above and by free email subscription.