By Sourabh Kulesh

San Diego, Nov 2 (IANS): Investing in creativity pays off with tangible benefits -- from higher income to greater national competitiveness and productivity, a new Adobe report said on Wednesday.

The report, "State of Create: 2016", released on the eve of Adobe MAX 2016 creativity conference, revealed that people who identify as creators globally report household income that is 13 per cent higher than non-creators.

Globally, more than two-thirds believe that being creative helps make people better workers, leaders, parents and students, the report highlighted. It incorporates responses from more than 5,000 adults across five countries.

"Creativity and productivity go hand in hand, but investing in creativity isn't on the agenda for enough of today's leaders," Mala Sharma, Vice President and General Manager of Creative Cloud at Adobe, said in a statement.

"This survey provides a big wake-up call to businesses that they need to think differently and give employees the tools and freedom to be creative," she added.

According to the report, US respondents said that being creative is valuable to the economy (77 per cent) and society (82 per cent).

Only five in 10 respondents (55 per cent) describe themselves as creative and 44 per cent say they are living up to their creative potential, showed the survey that found US creators earning 17 per cent more than non-creators.

"Businesses benefit from prioritising creativity and good design. Nearly 88 per cent believe that businesses that invest in creativity are more likely to foster innovation and 89 per cent believe that those who have adopted creativity have satisfied customers," the report found.

The report pointed out that governments that invest in creativity are viewed more positively but agrees that there is a clear disconnect between the high value society places on creativity and the lack of investment in creative education.

Seventy-one per cent of respondents believe that creativity is being stifled by the educational system, and only 41 per cent feel that the government encourages schools to teach students to be creative.

The report also found that Japan is the most creative country and Tokyo the most creative city followed by the US and New York respectively.