New Data Reveals More U.S. Adults Have Skills at the Lowest Levels
The 2022/23 Survey of Adult Skills, also known as the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), gauged the literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem-solving skills of adults ages 16 to 65 worldwide. Survey results have just been published, affirming what we already know — the need for adult education in our communities is great.
Data for the United States showed that adults with the lowest proficiencies in literacy numbered 58.9 million (28%) in 2022/23, up from 48 million (19%) in 2017.
In numeracy, 34%, or 72 million U.S. adults, showed skills at the lowest levels, up from 29%, or 59 million in 2017.
In the 2022/23 survey cycle, adaptive problem-solving skills were evaluated for the first time. This is the ability to think through and navigate a situation or challenge when a solution is not immediately obvious. Results showed that 68 million American adults adaptively solve problems at the lowest levels.
Solutions like the Literacy Council’s literacy, math, high diploma preparation, and English language learning programs are more important than ever. Thank you for volunteering and supporting our efforts. We aim to reach and serve even more students this year and beyond.
Read more about the latest Survey of Adult Skills and see how NBC News covered and graphed U.S. and international survey results.
NPR’s Marketplace spoke with Professor Daphne Greenberg, Director of the Adult Literacy Research Center at Georgia State University, about the PIAAC findings and the economic consequences of low literacy in the U.S.