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2 Description of Literacy
Levels
2 Assessment Design
2 Defining Literacy
4 Changes in Adult
Literacy
4 Nonliterate in English
5 Profile of Adults With
Below Basic Prose
Literacy
6 Literacy by Gender
8 Literacy by
Race/Ethnicity
10 Literacy by Age
12 Literacy by Language
Spoken Before Starting
School
14 Literacy by Educational
Attainment
16 Literacy by Employment
Status
18 Population and Sample
Size, and Data Collection
Procedures
18 Variable Definitions
19 Sample Assessment
Questions
28 Future NAAL Reports
28 NAAL on the Web
Figure 1. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by
race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003
Average scoreProse Document Quantitative
1992 2003 Race/ethnicity
White Black Hispanic Asian/Pacific
Islander
Total White Black Hispanic Asian/Pacific
Islander
Total White Black Hispanic Asian/Pacific
Islander
Total0
150
200
250
300
500
276 275287 288
237 243*234
216*
255271* 271 271
281 282
230238* 238
224*
259272 275
283* 288297*
222238* 233 233
268
285
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Average Prose and Document Literacy Scores Rise forBlacks and Asians But Decrease Among Hispanics
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) measures the English literacy ofAmerica's adults (people age 16 and older living in households or prisons).The average quantita-tive literacy scores of adults increased 8 points between 1992 and 2003, though average prose anddocument literacy did not differ significantly from 1992 (figure 1).
Among Blacks, average prose literacy scores increased by 6 points and average document literacyscores rose by 8 points between 1992 and 2003 (figure 1).The average prose scores ofAsians/Pacific Islanders increased as well, rising 16 points between 1992 and 2003.The averageprose literacy scores of Hispanics fell 18 points from 1992 to 2003, while average document lit-eracy scores decreased by 14 points.Average prose and document literacy scores among Whitesdid not change significantly. (Differences are discussed in this report only if they were found tobe statistically significant at the .05 level. Standard errors for all tables and figures in this reportare available on the NAAL website.)
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or men-
tal disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were
allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in this
figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.Total includes White, Black,
Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Multiracial/Other. Although not reported separately, American Indians/Native Alaskans are included.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy.
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
A First Look at the Literacy of
America’s Adults in the 21st CenturyU.S. Department of Education
Institute of Education Sciences
NCES 2006-470
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Assessment Design
The National Center forEducation Statistics (NCES)asked the National ResearchCouncil’s Board on Testingand Assessment (BOTA) torecommend a set of literacylevels for the 2003 assessment
that would permit compar-isons with results from the1992 assessment.
Drawing on recommendationsfrom BOTA’s Committee onPerformance Levels for Adult
Literacy, NCES has decided toreport the assessment resultsby using four literacy levels.Descriptions of the abilitiesassociated with each level andthe types of tasks that adults ateach level could complete are
presented in table 1 on thefollowing page.The completeBOTA report explaining theirmethodology in setting levelsis available on the Web athttp://books.nap.edu/catalog/11267.html.
Description of Literacy Levels
Defining LiteracyThe assessment defines litera-
cy as “using printed and writ-
ten information to function in
society, to achieve one’s goals,
and to develop one’s knowl-
edge and potential.” Results
are reported on three literacy
scales (see Sample Assessment
Questions section of the
report):
PPrroossee LLiitteerraaccyy
The knowledge and skills
needed to perform prose
tasks (i.e., to search, compre-
hend, and use information
from continuous texts).
DDooccuummeenntt LLiitteerraaccyy
The knowledge and skills
needed to perform document
tasks (i.e., to search, compre-
hend, and use information
from noncontinuous texts in
various formats).
QQuuaannttiittaattiivvee LLiitteerraaccyy
The knowledge and skills
required to perform quantita-
tive tasks (i.e., to identify and
perform computations, either
alone or sequentially, using
numbers embedded in print-
ed materials).
Unlike indirect measures ofliteracy, which rely on self-reports of literacy skills oreducational attainment, theassessment measures literacy byasking respondents to demon-strate that they understand themeaning of information foundin texts they are asked to read.
The literacy tasks in the assess-ment were drawn from actualtexts and documents, whichwere either used in their orig-inal format or reproduced inthe assessment booklets. Eachquestion appeared before thematerials needed to answer it,thus encouraging respondentsto read with purpose.
Respondents could correctlyanswer many assessment ques-tions by skimming the text ordocument for the informa-tion necessary to perform agiven literacy task.All taskswere open-ended.
A total of 152 prose, docu-ment, and quantitative literacytasks were included in the
2003 assessment. Sixty-five ofthe tasks were taken from the1992 survey and 87 weredeveloped for the 2003 assess-ment.Tasks from the 1992survey were included in the2003 assessment to measurechanges in literacy between1992 and 2003.
Asking each respondent tocomplete all the tasks wouldbe too time-consuming, so thetasks were organized into 13unique blocks. Respondentswere asked to complete anassessment booklet thatincluded seven literacy screen-ing tasks (with questions askedin either English or Spanishbut based upon written mate-rials presented in English only)common to all booklets, fol-lowed by three blocks of tasks.
Adults who were unable toanswer a minimum number ofliteracy screening tasks, butwho were able to communi-cate in either English orSpanish, were administered analternative assessment with
questions asked orally in eitherEnglish or Spanish based uponprinted materials presented inEnglish only.Adults who werenot screened into the alterna-tive assessment and completedthe main assessment attemptedapproximately 40 literacy tasks(administered in English only).To compare results between1992 and 2003, the 1992results were rescaled using thecriteria and methods estab-lished for the 2003 assessment.
The assessment also included abackground questionnaire thatwas used to collect data aboutthe relationship between liter-acy and various demographicand background characteris-tics.The background question-naire was administered beforethe assessment and the ques-tions were asked orally ineither English or Spanish.
See Population and SampleSize, and Data CollectionProcedures section of thisreport for more informationabout the assessment.
2
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
3
Table 1. Overview of the literacy levels
Level and definition Key abilities associated with level Sample tasks typical of level
Below Basic indicates nomore than the most simpleand concrete literacy skills.
Score ranges for BelowBasic:
Prose: 0–209Document: 0–204Quantitative: 0–234
Basic indicates skills nec-essary to perform simpleand everyday literacyactivities.
Score ranges for Basic:Prose: 210–264Document: 205–249Quantitative: 235–289
Intermediate indicatesskills necessary to performmoderately challenging lit-eracy activities.
Score ranges forIntermediate:
Prose: 265–339Document: 250–334Quantitative: 290–349
Proficient indicates skillsnecessary to perform morecomplex and challengingliteracy activities.
Score ranges for Proficient:Prose: 340–500Document: 335–500Quantitative: 350–500
Adults at the Below Basic level range from being nonliterate inEnglish to having the abilities listed below:
■ locating easily identifiable information in short, commonplaceprose texts
■ locating easily identifiable information and following writteninstructions in simple documents (e.g., charts or forms)
■ locating numbers and using them to perform simplequantitative operations (primarily addition) when themathematical information is very concrete and familiar
■ reading and understanding information in short,commonplace prose texts
■ reading and understanding information in simple documents
■ locating easily identifiable quantitative information andusing it to solve simple, one-step problems when thearithmetic operation is specified or easily inferred
■ reading and understanding moderately dense, lesscommonplace prose texts as well as summarizing, makingsimple inferences, determining cause and effect, andrecognizing the author’s purpose
■ locating information in dense, complex documents andmaking simple inferences about the information
■ locating less familiar quantitative information and using it tosolve problems when the arithmetic operation is notspecified or easily inferred
■ reading lengthy, complex, abstract prose texts as well assynthesizing information and making complex inferences
■ integrating, synthesizing, and analyzing multiple pieces ofinformation located in complex documents
■ locating more abstract quantitative information and using itto solve multistep problems when the arithmetic operationsare not easily inferred and the problems are more complex
■ searching a short, simple text to find out what apatient is allowed to drink before a medical test
■ signing a form
■ adding the amounts on a bank deposit slip
■ finding in a pamphlet for prospective jurors anexplanation of how people were selected forthe jury pool
■ using a television guide to find out whatprograms are on at a specific time
■ comparing the ticket prices for two events
■ consulting reference materials to determinewhich foods contain a particular vitamin
■ identifying a specific location on a map
■ calculating the total cost of ordering specificoffice supplies from a catalog
■ comparing viewpoints in two editorials
■ interpreting a table about blood pressure, age,and physical activity
■ computing and comparing the cost per ounceof food items
NOTE: Although the literacy levels share common names with the NAEP levels, they do not correspond to the NAEP levels.
SOURCE: Hauser, R.M, Edley, C.F. Jr., Koenig, J.A., and Elliott, S.W. (Eds.). (2005). Measuring Literacy: Performance Levels for Adults, Interim Report.Washington, DC: National Academies Press; White, S. and Dillow, S. (2005). Key Concepts and Features of
the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NCES 2006-471). U.S. Department of Education.Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
The percentage of adults(people age 16 and older liv-ing in households or prisons)with Below Basic documentliteracy decreased 2 percent-age points between 1992 and2003 and the percentage ofadults with Below Basic quan-titative literacy decreased by 4percentage points (figure 2).The percentage of adults withBasic literacy did not changesignificantly between 1992
and 2003 on any of the threescales.The percentage ofadults with Intermediate docu-ment literacy increased by 4 percentage points and thepercentage of adults withIntermediate quantitative litera-cy increased by 3 percentagepoints.The percentage ofadults with Proficient proseand document literacydecreased 2 percentage pointsbetween 1992 and 2003.
Changes in Adult Literacy
Figure 2. Percentage of adults in each literacy level: 1992
and 2003
14
14
14
12*
26
22*
29 44 13*
22 49 15
22 53* 13*
32 30 13
33 33* 13
28 43 15
Literacy scaleand year
Prose
Document
Quantitative
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
2003
1992
2003
1992
2003
1992
Nonliterate in English
4
An additional component ofthe adult population (definedas people age 16 and older liv-ing in households or prisons)is not shown in figure 2. Fieldinterviewers determined that 2percent of adults in 2003 and3 percent in 1992 could notbe tested because they spoke alanguage other than English orSpanish and were unable tocommunicate in English orSpanish.These adults areincluded in the populationthat is the basis for the per-centages in figure 3, but not inthe population of adults that isthe basis for figure 2 and theother figures in this report,because there is little or nobackground data on adultswho could not be tested.
In 2003, about 3 percent ofadults took an alternativeassessment because they were
unable to complete a mini-mum number of simple liter-acy screening questions.Theseadults also performed in theBelow Basic category in figure2. Questions on the alterna-tive assessment were asked ineither English or Spanish, butall written materials were inEnglish only.While some ofthese individuals were able toidentify letters, numbers, andsimple words and phrases,most were unable to read andunderstand connected text inEnglish.These adults are alsononliterate in English.
For 2003, these two groups ofadults who were nonliteratein English—the 2 percentwho could not be testedbecause they could not com-municate in English orSpanish and the 3 percentwho received the alternative
assessment—account for 5 percent of the population(11 million). For 1992, thecorresponding percentagecould not be estimated.Anunknown proportion of theBelow Basic population in thatyear would have required suchan alternative assessment, butit was not available then. In
addition to the adults whocould not be tested because ofa language difficulty (3 per-cent in 1992 and 2 percent in2003), other adults could notbe tested because of a cogni-tive or mental disability thatprecluded conducting theinterview (1 percent in 1992and 1 percent in 2003).
Figure 3. Percentage of adults in selected prose literacy
levels, including adults who could not be tested:
1992 and 2003
Below Basic Basic and aboveCould not be tested due to language
Year
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
2003
1992 3 13 83
2 13 84
Alternative assessment: 3
NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Results do not add to 100
percent; adults who could not be interviewed because of cognitive or mental disabilities are not included in the totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living
in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental dis-
abilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
In 2003, 14 percent ofAmerican adults (defined aspeople age 16 and older liv-ing in households or prisons)had Below Basic prose litera-cy (figure 2). Examining thecharacteristics of these adultsprovides a profile of theadults with the lowest proseliteracy performance.
Hispanics, who represent 12percent of the NAAL popula-tion, accounted for 39 per-cent of the adults with BelowBasic prose literacy (table 2).Twenty percent of adults withBelow Basic prose literacywere Black. In contrast, while70 percent of the NAALpopulation is White, 37 per-cent of adults with BelowBasic prose literacy wereWhite.
Adults age 65 or older repre-sent 15 percent of the NAALpopulation but 26 percent ofadults in the lowest prose lit-eracy level (table 2).Although35 percent of adults withBelow Basic prose literacyspoke Spanish or Spanish and
another non-English languagebefore starting school, theseindividuals account for 8 per-cent of the population.
Adults without a high schooldegree or GED represent 15percent of the total NAALpopulation but 55 percent ofthe adults in the lowest proseliteracy level (table 2). Fifty-two percent of adults in thetotal NAAL population com-pleted at least some educa-tion beyond high school,compared to 14 percent ofadults with Below Basic proseliteracy.
Forty-six percent of adultswith Below Basic prose literacyhad one or more disabilities,compared to 30 percent ofadults in the NAAL popula-tion (table 2).The percentageof adults with multiple dis-abilities in the Below Basicprose level (21 percent) wassignificantly higher than thepercentage of adults withmultiple disabilities in theNAAL population (9 per-cent).
Table 2. Percentage of adults with selected characteristics in
the Below Basic prose literacy level and in the total
NAAL population: 2003
Total NAALCharacteristic Below Basic population
Race/ethnicity
White 37 70Black 20 12Hispanic 39 12Asian/Pacific Islander 4 4
Gender
Male 46 49Female 54 51
Age
16–18 5 619–24 9 1125–39 25 2840–49 16 2050–64 20 2165+ 26 15
Language spoken before starting school
English only 52 81English and Spanish 2 2English and other language 2 4Spanish 35 8Other language 9 5
Educational attainment
Less than/some high school 55 15GED/high school equivalency 4 5High school graduate 23 26Vocational/trade/business school 4 6Some college 4 11Associate’s/2-year degree 3 12College graduate 2 12Graduate studies/degree 1 11
Disability status
Vision problem only 7 5Hearing problem only 4 5Learning disability only 4 3Other disability only 10 8Multiple disabilities 21 9No disabilities 54 70
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table. In 1992, respondents were
allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent of
respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in
this table. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific Islander catego-
ry includes Native Hawaiians.The English and Spanish category includes adults who spoke only English and
Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another non-English language.The Spanish category
includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke Spanish and another non-English language.
The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak English or Spanish.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003
National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Profile of Adults With Below Basic Prose Literacy
5
In 2003, average prose literacyand average document litera-cy were higher for womenthan for men, while averagequantitative literacy was high-er for men than for women(figure 4).
Between 1992 and 2003, theaverage prose score forwomen remained at 277,while the average prose scorefor men decreased by 4points (figure 4). On the doc-ument literacy scale, womengained 4 points between
1992 and 2003, while theaverage score for mendropped by 5 points.
In 2003, the average quanti-tative literacy score forwomen increased 10 pointsfrom 1992, while average
quantitative literacy for menwas not significantly differentfrom 1992 (figure 4).
The distribution of men andwomen across the literacy lev-els also changed between 1992and 2003 (figures 5, 6, and 7).
Literacy by Gender
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Figure 4. Average prose, document, and quantitative
literacy scores of adults, by gender: 1992 and 2003
276 272* 277 277 274 269* 268 272*283 286
269279*
Average score
0
150
200
250
300
500 Prose Document Quantitative
1992 2003Gender
MenMen WomenWomen WomenMen
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not
be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992)
are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
6
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
7
Figure 7. Percentage of adults in each quantitative literacy
level, by gender: 1992 and 2003
24
21*
22*
29 31 17
31* 33* 16
28 34 28 9
35 32* 11*
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
2003
1992
2003
1992
Gender and year
Men
Women
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living
in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental dis-
abilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Figure 5. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level, by
gender: 1992 and 2003
15
15
13
12
27 42 16
29 43 13*
29 44 14
29 46 14
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
2003
1992
2003
1992
Gender and year
Men
Women
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living
in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental dis-
abilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Figure 6. Percentage of adults in each document literacy
level, by gender: 1992 and 2003
14
14
14
11*
21 49 17
23* 51* 13*
23 50 13
22 54* 13
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
2003
1992
2003
1992
Gender and year
Men
Women
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
On the quantitative scale, forexample, the percentage ofmen and women with BelowBasic literacy decreasedbetween 1992 and 2003 (fig-ure 7). For men, the percent-age with Below Basic quantita-tive literacy declined by 3 per-
centage points, while the per-centage of women with BelowBasic quantitative literacy fellby 6 percentage points.
The percentage of womenwith Below Basic documentliteracy also decreased, from
14 percent in 1992 to 11percent in 2003 (figure 6).
Despite the overall gain madeby women in quantitative lit-eracy, in 2003, the percentageof men with Proficient quanti-tative literacy was 5 percent-
age points higher than thepercentage of women (figure7). For the prose and docu-ment scales, there were nosignificant differences betweenthe percentage of men andwomen with Proficient literacy(figures 5 and 6).
The percentage of Whites,Blacks, and Asians/Pacific
Islanders with Below Basic lit-eracy decreased between1992 and 2003 on the prose,document, and quantitativescales (figures 8, 9, and 10).Among Hispanics, the per-centage with Below Basic
prose literacy increased 9percentage points between1992 and 2003, while thepercentage with Below Basicdocument literacy increased 8percentage points (figures 8and 9).The percentage of
Hispanics with Below Basicquantitative literacy was 50percent in both 1992 and2003 (figure 10).
Although the percentage ofHispanics with Below Basic
Literacy by Race/Ethnicity
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Figure 8. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level,
by race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003
2003
1992
2003
1992
2003
1992
2003
1992
41 27 2
43 31* 2
30* 23* 4*
9
7*
30
24*
35
44*
25
14*
25 48 18
25 51* 17
33 28 5
30 36 9
32 42 12
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
Race/ethnicityand year
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were
allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent
of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander cate-
gories in this figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific
Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
NAAL Population,
1992 and 2003
Table 3. Percentage of
adults, by
race/ethnicity:
1992 and 2003
Race/ethnicity 1992 2003White 77 70*
Black 11 12
Hispanic 8 12*
Asian/Pacific Islander 2 4*
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of
rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of
age and older. Adults who could not be inter-
viewed due to language spoken or cognitive or
mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 per-
cent in 1992) are excluded from this table. In 1992,
respondents were allowed to identify only one
race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify
multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent of respondents
identified multiple races and are not included in
the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander cate-
gories in this table. All adults of Hispanic origin are
classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The
Asian/Pacific Islander category includes Native
Hawaiians.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of
Education Sciences, National Center for Education
Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The percentage of Whitesdecreased between 1992and 2003, while the per-centage of Hispanics andAsians/Pacific Islandersincreased.The percentageof Hispanics rose 4 per-centage points and thepercentage of Asians/Pacific Islanders increased2 percentage points.Thepercentage of Blacks didnot differ significantlybetween 1992 and 2003.
8
document literacy increasedbetween 1992 and 2003, thepercentage of Hispanics withBelow Basic document litera-cy was lower than the per-centage of Hispanics withBelow Basic prose or quanti-
tative literacy (figures 8, 9,and 10).
For prose, document, andquantitative literacy in 2003,the percentage of Whites andAsians/Pacific Islanders with
Proficient literacy was signifi-cantly higher than the percentage of Blacks andHispanics (figures 8, 9, and10).A higher percentage ofWhites than Asians/PacificIslanders had Proficient prose
literacy (figure 8). On allthree scales, Hispanics weremore likely than Blacks tohave Proficient literacy (figures8, 9, and 10).
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
9
Figure 9. Percentage of adults in each document literacy
level, by race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003
2003
1992
2003
1992
2003
1992
2003
1992
19 53 18
19 58* 15*
33 34 2
35 40* 2
29 38 5
26* 33* 5
23 48 10
22 54 13
10
8*
31
24*
28
36*
19
11*
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
Race/ethnicityand year
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were
allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent
of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander cate-
gories in this figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific
Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Figure 10. Percentage of adults in each quantitative literacy
level, by race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003
2003
1992
2003
1992
2003
1992
2003
1992
32 34 15
32 39* 17
30 12 1
36* 15* 2
31 16 3
29 17 4
29 28 12
34 35 12
19
13*
57
47*
50
50
31
19*
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
Race/ethnicityand year
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were
allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent
of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander cate-
gories in this figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific
Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The average prose, document,and quantitative literacy ofadults in the oldest age groups(50 to 64 and 65 and older)increased between 1992 and2003 (figure 11). For the same
groups of adults, the percent-age with Below Basic literacyfell across the literacy scales(figures 12 and 13; results forthe quantitative scale are notshown here but are availableon the NAAL website).
Although the average literacyof adults age 65 and olderincreased between 1992 and2003, adults in this age grouphad the lowest average litera-cy in 2003 and accounted forthe largest percentage ofadults with Below Basic prose,
document, and quantitativeliteracy in 2003 (figures 11,12, and 13; quantitative levelsnot shown).Among adultsage 65 and older, 23 percenthad Below Basic prose literacy,27 percent had Below Basicdocument literacy, and
Literacy by Age
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Figure 11. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by age:
1992 and 2003
Average scoreProse Document Quantitative
0
150
200
250
300
500
Age
16–18 19–24 25–39 40–49 50–64 65+16–18 19–24 25–39 40–49 50–64 65+ 16–18 19–24 25–39 40–49 50–64 65+
1992 2003
270280
288 293
269
235
267276
283* 282*
278*
248*
270282 286 284
258
221
268277 282 277*
270*
235*264
277286
292
272
235
267279
292*
289
289*
257*
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or men-
tal disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy.
NAAL Population,
1992 and 2003
Table 4. Percentage of
adults, by age
groups: 1992 and
2003
Age 1992 200316–18 6 6
19–24 13 11*
25–39 33 28*
40–49 17 20*
50–64 16 21*
65+ 15 15
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of
rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of
age and older living in households or prisons.
Adults who could not be interviewed due to lan-
guage spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3
percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are exclud-
ed from this table.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of
Education Sciences, National Center for Education
Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The aging of America’sadults is reflected in theincrease in the percentageof adults between the agesof 40 and 49 and betweenthe ages of 50 and 64.While the percentage ofadults in these age groupsrose between 1992 and2003, the percentage ofadults between the ages of19 and 24 and between 25and 39 decreased.
10
34 percent had Below Basicquantitative literacy.
Average prose literacy scoresfor adults in the 25 to 39 and40 to 49 age groups fell from1992 to 2003 (figure 11).Average document literacy
decreased for adults ages 40to 49, while the averagequantitative literacy of adultsages 25 to 39 increased.Average literacy for adults inthe 16 to 18 and 19 to 24age groups was not signifi-cantly different in 1992 and
2003 across the literacy scales(figure 11).
Among adults ages 50 to 64,the percentage with Proficientprose, document, and quanti-tative literacy increasedbetween 1992 and 2003
(figures 12 and 13; quantita-tive data not shown).Thepercentage of adults age 65and older with Proficient liter-acy did not change on any ofthe three scales between 1992and 2003.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
11
Figure 12. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level,
by age: 1992 and 2003
1011
10
11
1012*
911
1613*
3323*
35 49 637 48 5
29 49 13
29 48 12
24 46 2025 45 18
23 45 2327* 47 15*
31 43 1127* 44 15*
37 27 338 34* 4
20031992
16–18
20031992
19–24
20031992
25–39
20031992
40–49
20031992
50–64
20031992
65+
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
Age and year
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Figure 13. Percentage of adults in each document literacy
level, by age: 1992 and 2003
1011
79
98
1010
1712*
3827*
24 57 1024 56 9
19 58 1520 58 13
18 53 2119 56* 17*
18 52 2020* 54 15*
27 48 923* 54* 12*
31 29 233 38* 3
20031992
16–18
2003199219–24
20031992
25–39
20031992
40–49
20031992
50–64
20031992
65+
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
Age and year
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Scores for adults who spokeSpanish or Spanish and anoth-er non-English languagebefore starting school dropped17 points from 1992 to 2003for prose and document liter-acy but did not change signif-icantly for quantitative literacy(figure 14).The average prose
and document literacy ofadults who spoke Englishbefore starting school (Englishonly, English and Spanish,English and other language)did not change significantlybetween 1992 and 2003,although their average quanti-tative literacy increased.
Fewer adults who spokeEnglish only or English anda non-Spanish languagebefore starting school hadBelow Basic prose, document,and quantitative literacy in2003 than in 1992 (figures15 and 16; results for thequantitative scale are not
Figure 14. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by
language spoken before starting school: 1992 and 2003
270*
Average score
0
150
200
250
300
500
282 283
255262
273 278
205
188*
239249
275 276
253 259 260268
216
199*
241257*
280289*
247261*
271
289*
212 211
246
1992 2003
Prose Document Quantitative
Englishonly
Englishand
Spanish
Englishand otherlanguage
Spanish Otherlanguage
Englishonly
Englishand
Spanish
Englishand otherlanguage
Spanish Otherlanguage
Englishonly
Englishand
Spanish
Englishand otherlanguage
Spanish Otherlanguage
Language spoken before starting school
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or men-
tal disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.The English and Spanish category includes adults who spoke only English and Spanish, as
well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another non-English language.The Spanish category includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke
Spanish and another non-English language.The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak English or Spanish.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Literacy by Language Spoken Before Starting School
NAAL Population,
1992 and 2003
Table 5. Percentage of
adults, by
language spoken
before starting
school: 1992 and
2003
Language spoken before starting school 1992 2003English only 86 81*
English and Spanish 2 2
English and other language 3 4
Spanish 5 8*
Other language 4 5
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of
rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of
age and older living in households or prisons.
Adults who could not be interviewed due to lan-
guage spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3
percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are exclud-
ed from this table. The English and Spanish catego-
ry includes adults who spoke only English and
Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English,
Spanish, and another non-English language.The
Spanish category includes adults who spoke only
Spanish, as well as adults who spoke Spanish and
another non-English language.The Other language
category includes only adults who did not speak
English or Spanish.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of
Education Sciences, National Center for Education
Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The language backgroundof America’s adultschanged between 1992and 2003.The percentageof adults who spokeEnglish before startingschool decreased, while thepercentage of adults whospoke Spanish or Spanishand another non-Englishlanguage before startingschool increased.
12
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Figure 15. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level,
by language spoken before starting school:
1992 and 2003
27 46 1611
9* 27 49* 15
19
14
15
7*
52
61*
32
26
38 39 4
38 42 6
30 43 13
33 51* 9
30 16 2
25* 13* 1*
35 29 5
33 34 7
2003
1992English only
2003
1992English and Spanish
2003
1992English and other
language
2003
1992Spanish
2003
1992Other language
Language spokenbefore starting school
and year
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.The English and Spanish catego-
ry includes adults who spoke only English and Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another
non-English language.The Spanish category includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke
Spanish and another non-English language.The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak
English or Spanish.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Figure 16. Percentage of adults in each document literacy
level, by language spoken before starting
school: 1992 and 2003
2003
1992English only
2003
1992English and Spanish
2003
1992English and other
language
2003
1992Spanish
2003
1992Other language
12
9*
18
12
19
10*
41
49*
29
20*
Language spokenbefore starting school
and year
21 51 16
21 56* 13*
30 45 7
29 54*
25 57* 8
30 27 2
25* 23 3
26 39 7
24 46* 10*
24 46 11
5
Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100908070 60 50 40 30 20 10
Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older liv-
ing in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental
disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.The English and Spanish catego-
ry includes adults who spoke only English and Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another
non-English language.The Spanish category includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke
Spanish and another non-English language.The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak
English or Spanish.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
shown here but are availableon the NAAL website).Among adults who spokeSpanish or Spanish andanother non-English lan-guage before starting school,the percentage with BelowBasic prose and document lit-eracy increased between
1992 and 2003 (figures 15and 16).
Average document literacy in2003 was highest for theEnglish-language-only group(figure 14). Prose and quanti-tative literacy did not differsignificantly between the
English-language-only andthe English and other lan-guage groups.
In 2003, among adults whospoke Spanish or Spanish andanother non-English languagebefore starting school, 61 per-cent had Below Basic prose lit-
eracy, 49 percent had BelowBasic document literacy, and62 percent had Below Basicquantitative literacy (figures15 and 16; quantitative datanot shown).
13
Average prose literacydecreased for all levels of edu-cational attainment between1992 and 2003, with the
exception of adults who werestill in high school or com-pleted a GED (table 7).Average document literacyalso decreased among adultswho completed educationabove a vocational, trade, orbusiness school. Differences indocument literacy in 1992and 2003 were not significant
for adults with educationalattainment less than somecollege.There were no signif-icant differences in averagequantitative literacy between1992 and 2003 for any edu-cational attainment level.
In 2003, literacy was lowestacross the three scales for
adults who did not completehigh school; these adults alsoaccounted for the largestgroup with Below Basic prose,document, and quantitative lit-eracy (tables 7 and 8). On thequantitative scale, for example,over 60 percent of adultswithout a high school degreehad Below Basic literacy.
Literacy by Educational Attainment
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
NAAL Population,
1992 and 2003
Table 6. Percentage of
adults, by
educational
attainment: 1992
and 2003
Educational attainment 1992 2003Still in high school 4 3*
Less than/some high school 21 15*
GED/high school equivalency 4 5*
High school graduate 27 26*
Vocational/trade/business school 5 6
Some college 9 11*
Associate’s/2-year degree 11 12*
College graduate 10 12*
Graduate studies/degree 9 11*
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of
rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of
age and older living in households or prisons.
Adults who could not be interviewed due to lan-
guage spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3
percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are exclud-
ed from this table.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of
Education Sciences, National Center for Education
Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The educational attain-ment of America’s adultsincreased between 1992and 2003.The percentageof adults with less than ahigh school degree orGED/Equivalencydecreased by 6 percentagepoints, while more adultscompleted an associate’sdegree or more education.
14
Table 7. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores
of adults, by educational attainment: 1992 and 2003
Literacy scale and educational attainment 1992 2003Prose
Still in high school 268 262Less than/some high school 216 207*GED/high school equivalency 265 260High school graduate 268 262*Vocational/trade/business school 278 268*Some college 292 287*Associate’s/2-year degree 306 298*College graduate 325 314*Graduate studies/degree 340 327*
Document
Still in high school 270 265Less than/some high school 211 208GED/high school equivalency 259 257High school graduate 261 258Vocational/trade/business school 273 267Some college 288 280*Associate’s/2-year degree 301 291*College graduate 317 303*Graduate studies/degree 328 311*
Quantitative
Still in high school 263 261Less than/some high school 209 211GED/high school equivalency 265 265High school graduate 267 269Vocational/trade/business school 280 279Some college 295 294Associate’s/2-year degree 305 305College graduate 324 323Graduate studies/degree 336 332
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed
due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National
Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
In 2003, prose, document, andquantitative literacy rose withsuccessive levels of educationalattainment beginning withthe completion of high school(table 7).Average prose, docu-ment, and quantitative literacyfor adults who completed aGED was not significantlydifferent from that of adults
who stopped their educationafter graduating high school.
The declining performance ofadults with higher education-al attainment was reflected inthe decrease between 1992and 2003 in the percentage ofadults with postsecondarydegrees with Proficient prose
and document literacy (table8). On the prose scale, thepercentage of college gradu-ates with Proficient literacydecreased from 40 percent in1992 to 31 percent in 2003.For adults who took graduateclasses or completed a gradu-ate degree, the percentagewith Proficient prose literacy
fell 10 percentage pointsbetween 1992 and 2003.
The distribution of adultsacross the four literacy levelson the quantitative scale didnot change significantlybetween 1992 and 2003within any of the educationalattainment categories.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Table 8. Percentage of adults in each prose, document, and quantitative literacy level, by
educational attainment: 1992 and 2003
Literacy scale and educational attainment 1992 2003 1992 2003 1992 2003 1992 2003Prose
Still in high school 11 14 36 37 47 45 6 4Less than/some high school 45 50* 38 33* 17 16 1 1GED/high school equivalency 9 10 42 45 46 43 3 3High school graduate 11 13 37 39 48 44* 5 4Vocational/trade/business school 9 10 29 36* 53 49 9 5*Some college 4 5 23 25 59 59 14 11Associate’s/2-year degree 2 4* 16 20* 58 56 23 19College graduate 2 3 10 14* 49 53 40 31*Graduate studies/degree 1 1 6 10* 43 48 51 41*
Document
Still in high school 10 13 24 24 57 54 9 9Less than/some high school 44 45 32 29* 23 25 1 2GED/high school equivalency 9 13 31 30 58 53 3 4High school graduate 12 13 28 29 54 52 6 5Vocational/trade/business school 8 9 22 26 60 59 10 7Some college 4 5 15 19* 67 65 14 10Associate’s/2-year degree 3 3 12 15 60 66* 25 16*College graduate 2 2 9 11 52 62* 37 25*Graduate studies/degree 1 1 5 9* 48 59* 45 31*
Quantitative
Still in high school 31 31 37 38 27 25 6 5Less than/some high school 65 64 25 25 9 10 1 1GED/high school equivalency 25 26 46 43 26 28 3 3High school graduate 26 24 41 42 29 29 5 5Vocational/trade/business school 18 18 39 41 35 35 8 6Some college 11 10 34 36 42 43 13 11Associate’s/2-year degree 8 7 29 30 45 45 18 18College graduate 5 4 21 22 44 43 31 31Graduate studies/degree 2 3 15 18 43 43 39 36
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be inter-
viewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment
of Adult Literacy.
15
BasicBelow Basic Intermediate Proficient
The ability to complete dif-ferent literacy tasks may influ-ence employability, so it isuseful to look at the distribu-tion of adults by literacy lev-els across the four categoriesof employment.Among adultswith Below Basic prose litera-cy, 51 percent were not in thelabor force in 2003, while 35
percent were employed fulltime (figure 17; results for thedocument and quantitativescales are not shown here butare available on the NAALwebsite).
The percentage of adultswith Below Basic prose litera-cy who were employed full
time increased 6 percentagepoints between 1992 and2003, and the percentagewith Below Basic documentliteracy who were employedfull time increased 5 percent-age points (figure 17; docu-ment and quantitative resultsnot shown). For adults withBasic prose literacy, 38 per-
cent were not in the laborforce and 6 percent wereunemployed.
Sixty-four percent of adultswith Proficient prose literacyand 54 percent of adults withIntermediate prose literacywere employed full time (figure 17). Eighteen percent
Literacy by Employment Status
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
Figure 17. Percentage of adults in each employment
category, by prose literacy level: 1992 and 2003
57
6
29
8
51*
510
35*
40
612
42
38
612
44
26
5
15
54
27
5
14
54
173
14
66
183
14
64
Literacy level and year
20031992
Below Basic
20031992
Basic
20031992
Intermediate
20031992
Proficient
Percent not employed
Percent employed
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Not in labor forceUnemployedPart timeFull time
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.Adults are defined as people 16 years of age or older living
in households. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3
percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992
National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
NAAL Population,
1992 and 2003
Table 9. Percentage of
adults, by
employment
status: 1992 and
2003
Employment status 1992 2003Full time 49 50
Part time 13 13
Unemployed 5 5
Not in labor force 33 32
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of
rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of
age or older living in households. Adults who could
not be interviewed due to language spoken or cog-
nitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and
4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of
Education Sciences, National Center for Education
Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The employment status ofAmerica’s adults did notchange significantlybetween 1992 and 2003.Over 60 percent of alladults were employedeither full or part time.
16
17
Figure 18. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by
employment status: 1992 and 2003
Average score
0
150
200
250
300
500
290 285* 285 281
263 269
252 255
286 281* 279 277261 265
244 250*
292 296*281 287*
261270
247261*
Prose Document Quantitative
Full time Part time Unemployed Not in labor force
Full time Part time Unemployed Not in labor force
Full time Part time Unemployed Not in labor force
1992 2003 Employment status
* Significantly different from 1992.
NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age or older living in households. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabili-
ties (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy.
of adults with Proficient proseliteracy and 27 percent ofadults with Intermediate proseliteracy were not in the laborforce; 3 percent of adults withProficient prose literacy and 5percent of adults withIntermediate prose literacywere unemployed.
Among adults employed fulltime, average prose and docu-ment literacy scores decreasedby 5 points between 1992and 2003, while averagequantitative scores rose by 4 points (figure 18).Averagequantitative literacy alsoincreased between 1992 and2003 for adults employed part
time and those not in thelabor force.
In 2003, average prose anddocument literacy was high-est among adults employedfull or part time (the differ-ences between these groupswere not statistically signifi-cant), and average quantita-
tive literacy was highest foradults employed full time(figure 18). Literacy was low-est across the three scales foradults who were not in thelabor force.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
18
The 2003 assessment wasadministered to a nationallyrepresentative sample of19,714 adults ages 16 andolder residing in householdsor prisons.
A smaller number of respon-dents (1,173) were selectedfor the prison sample andwere interviewed in the facil-ities where they were incar-cerated. Sampled adults resid-ing in households, but tem-porarily in jail—where themedian stay is about twoweeks—would have beeninterviewed at some othertime during the ten monthperiod of data collection.
The household sample is rep-resentative of the 221,020,000adults in households, whilethe prison sample is represen-tative of the 1,380,000 adults
in prisons in 2003.
Data collection for thehousehold sample was con-ducted between May 2003and February 2004 and forthe prison sample betweenMarch 2004 and July 2004.The household and prisonsamples were combined tocreate a national sample rep-resentative of the 222,400,000American adults in house-holds or prisons.
Administration procedures forthe 2003 assessment werechanged to provide moreaccurate data about Englishliteracy levels of adults. Onechange was designed toincrease the number ofSpanish speaking adults whocould participate in the study.In 1992, the easy literacy tasksat the beginning of the assess-
ment were presented inEnglish only. In 2003, thecorresponding tasks were pre-sented in either English orSpanish, although the materi-als to be read were presentedonly in English.As a result,fewer adults had to beexcluded due to the languageof the interview.
A second change wasdesigned to make the assess-ment more like the demandsof everyday life. In 1992,respondents were not allowedto use a calculator for mostquantitative literacy questions.In 2003, respondents hadaccess to a calculator.Allowing respondents to usecalculators is consistent withthe assessment's functionaldefinition of literacy. Both ofthese changes require somecaution in interpreting the
changes in literacy levels from1992 to 2003, but result inthe ability of the 2003 assess-ment to provide more accu-rate data about the Englishliteracy levels of adults.
The final household sampleresponse rate was 62 percentand the final prison sampleresponse rate was 88 percent.NCES statistical standardsrequire a nonresponse biasanalysis when the unitresponse rate for a sample isless than 85 percent.The nonresponse bias analysis ofthe household sample revealeddifferences in the backgroundcharacteristics of respondentswho participated in the assess-ment compared to those whorefused. Detailed informationabout the nonresponse biasanalysis is available on theNAAL website.
A nonresponse bias adjust-ment was performed toreduce the bias due torespondent refusal.Theadjustment corrected for theinitial nonresponse bias,resulting in negligible bias forthe household sample.Theadjustment procedures arediscussed in detail in theforthcoming 2003 NAALTechnical Report.The analy-ses presented in this reportare based on data from thecorrected household sampleand the prison sample.
Population and Sample Size, and Data Collection Procedures
Definitions of all population
groups presented in this report
are available on the NAAL web-
site. Literacy results for adults
who indicated they were
American Indian/Alaska Native
or Multiracial/Other are not
reported separately but are
included in the total population
literacy estimates.
Comparisons between 1992 and
2003 for multiracial adults are not
possible because respondents
were allowed to identify only one
race in 1992. In 2003, about 2 per-
cent of respondents identified
multiple races. Due to small sam-
ple sizes, the Multiracial and
Other categories were combined.
Results for Multiracial/Other and
American Indian/Alaska Native
adults, as well as results by
Hispanic origin, will be included
in future NAAL reports.
All respondents were asked to
report their birth dates, and this
information was used to calcu-
late their age. Age groups
reported are 16 to 18, 19 to 24,
25 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 64, and
65 and older. Age groups were
selected to correspond to the
key life stages of many adults
(though not all adults enter the
stages at the ages specified):
■ 16 to 18: Completion of
secondary education
■ 19 to 24: College or job
training
■ 25 to 39: Early career
■ 40 to 49: Mid career
■ 50 to 64: Late career
■ 65 and older: Retirement
Variable Definitions