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Abstract
This paper discusses some of the main findings of a survey study that explores the range of images, beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics as held by the adult public, and their possible sources. Interpretative approaches employing both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Five main categories of response emerged from the analysis. They are (a) attitudes towards mathematics and its learning; (b) beliefs about the respondents' own mathematical abilities; (c) descriptions of the process of learning mathematics; (d) epistemological views of the nature of mathematics; and (e) attributions of values and goals for mathematics. Some methodological issues and examples of responses representing these categories are discussed.