Benchmarking Adult Literacy in North America: An International Comparative Study - ARCHIVED

The International Adult Literacy Survey was a 22-country initiative conducted between 1994 and 1998. In every country nationally representative samples of adults aged 16-65 were interviewed and tested at home, using the same literacy test. The main purpose of the survey was to find out how well adults use information to function in society. Another aim was to investigate the factors that influence literacy proficiency and to compare these between countries.

This monograph presents 10 international indicators that allow readers to compare the literacy proficiency of Americans with that of other populations. The findings confirm that low literacy is an important issue in all regions and countries surveyed.