Question about the literacy rate in the UK (and other developed countries)

[Puppycow]

Yesterday my daughter told me that her (Japanese) teacher told her that the literacy rate in the UK was only 60%. I found that figure hard to believe.

Maybe they are talking about people who aren't literate above a certain grade level, like middle school or primary school, rather than people who literally cannot read or write at all?

Wikipedia says the following:

Many high-income countries, having attained high levels of literacy, no longer collect basic literacy statistics and thus are not included in the UIS data. In calculating the Human Development Index (HDI), a literacy rate of 99.0% is assumed for high-income countries that do not report adult literacy information.

The UK and US fall into this category of countries which no longer collect basic literacy statistics, so the 99% given for these countries is just an assumption.

 

[Robrob]

Just my immediate gut response but there's no way it's 60% in any developed nation, especially not England.

Yep, thought so: Literacy--99%.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3846.htm

 

[Rasmus]

Just my immediate gut response but there's no way it's 60% in any developed nation, especially not England.

Yep, thought so: Literacy--99%.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3846.htm

The OP explains that these 99% are not measured but assumed.

ETA: 60% would place the UK in the bottom 20 of the list referred to in the OP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy#Prevalence

The UK government's Department for Education reported in 2006 that 47% of school children left school at age 16 without having achieved a basic level in functional mathematics, and 42% fail to achieve a basic level of functional English. Every year, 100,000 pupils leave school functionally illiterate in the UK.

This might be what was meant, perhaps?

 

[JJM 777]

I find it hard to believe that any person with some IQ can surf through 9 years of schooling without learning to read.

I bet the given figure is inflated by:

- recent immigrants who did not go through all 9 years of schooling (and some of whom are literate in some other language than English)

- persons with low IQ, who simply are unable to learn to read

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Functional illiteracy is a term used to describe reading and writing skills that are inadequate "to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level."[1] Functional illiteracy is contrasted with illiteracy in the strict sense, meaning the inability to read or write simple sentences in any language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy

 

[Darat]

Facts and figures for England: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/about/faqs/284_how_many_illiterate_adults_are_there_in_england

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Facts and figures for England: http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/about/faqs/284_how_many_illiterate_adults_are_there_in_england

According to that, the 60% rate quoted in the OP is (as I suspected) completely untrue.

 

[Puppycow]

Ah, I see. The teacher must have confused "functional illiteracy" with illiteracy in the strict sense.

I'm not sure whether Japan has this concept or what the corresponding rate would be here.

But clearly there is a spectrum of literacy. It's not just binary. I'm sure that close to 99% can at least read and write very simple things at a first or second grade level, but that level is not functionally literate.

 

[Last of the Fraggles]

Yesterday my daughter told me that her (Japanese) teacher told her that the literacy rate in the UK was only 60%. I found that figure hard to believe.

Maybe they are talking about people who aren't literate above a certain grade level, like middle school or primary school, rather than people who literally cannot read or write at all?

Wikipedia says the following:


The UK and US fall into this category of countries which no longer collect basic literacy statistics, so the 99% given for these countries is just an assumption.

Based on my daily dealings with the British public I would say 60% is rather high.

More disappointing than that is the number of people who use language for a living who seem unable to express themselves correctly.

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Ah, I see. The teacher must have confused "functional illiteracy" with illiteracy in the strict sense.

I'm not sure whether Japan has this concept or what the corresponding rate would be here.

But clearly there is a spectrum of literacy. It's not just binary. I'm sure that close to 99% can at least read and write very simple things at a first or second grade level, but that level is not functionally literate.

Even with that confusion, the figures don't seem to be accurate. Darat's link puts functional literacy at about 84%.

 

[Puppycow]

Even with that confusion, the figures don't seem to be accurate. Darat's link puts functional literacy at about 84%.

Yes, but maybe the teacher was referring to figure given for school leavers rather than the general population. I presume that some of those 42% who "fail to achieve a basic level of functional English" go on to achieve it later.

BTW, I checked the Japanese version of the Wiki article on functional literacy, but it seems to be just a straight translation of the English article, with no information about functional literacy in Japan.

 

[Bad Lieutenant]

Whatever makes the Japanese feel better about the (arguably) inferior accomplishments of their Island. The other side of the world but the same distance from the mainland. I'm off to buy a Prius and watch Ghost in the Shell 2 on my new Toshiba lappy.

 

[geni]

Yes, but maybe the teacher was referring to figure given for school leavers rather than the general population. I presume that some of those 42% who "fail to achieve a basic level of functional English" go on to achieve it later.

Unlikely. The current educational system has far more special needs stuff and the like than it did in the past. So the percentage of fuctionaly illiterate school leaves is probably slightly lower than the general population.

BTW, I checked the Japanese version of the Wiki article on functional literacy, but it seems to be just a straight translation of the English article, with no information about functional literacy in Japan.

The japanese wikipedia people do seem to do a lot of translations.

 

[Puppycow]

Unlikely. The current educational system has far more special needs stuff and the like than it did in the past. So the percentage of fuctionaly illiterate school leaves is probably slightly lower than the general population.

Well, according to the UK government's Department for Education (Professor Yaffle's post):

The UK government's Department for Education reported in 2006 that 47% of school children left school at age 16 without having achieved a basic level in functional mathematics, and 42% fail to achieve a basic level of functional English. Every year, 100,000 pupils leave school functionally illiterate in the UK.

What is the total number of school leavers each year? My Google fu led me here, but alas I could not find an answer to that question.

If "functionally illiterate" in the above is the same as "fail to achieve a basic level of functional English", we could just do simple arithmetic to arrive at the answer, but I'm not sure that's true.

 

[Rasmus]

If "functionally illiterate" in the above is the same as "fail to achieve a basic level of functional English", we could just do simple arithmetic to arrive at the answer, but I'm not sure that's true.

In what ways would it not be the same?

If you do not comprehend the English language and/or cannot construct sentences to communicate somewhat complex ideas, you would have "fail[ed] to achieve a basic level of functional English", right?

If that were so, you would not be able to make any more sense out of things - or put any more sense into things - regardless of whether they were spoken or written down.

There is a kind of illiteracy where you do have sufficient command of the spoken language but would not be able to read or write it - thus making the number of illiterates bigger than that of those who have not achieved a basic level of functional English.

 

[Lothian]

d literaC R8 4 ppl n England iz hiR thN it hz eva Bin

 

[Flo]

9% of the adult population that has been through school in France are considered functionnally illiterate, according to the "Agence Nationale de Lutte contre l'Illetrisme" (National anti-illiteracy board).

That is 3 100 000 people, half of whose are more than 45 years old, are employed, live in the countryside or in less densely peopled areas (only 10% from "socially problematic" zones), and 74% were speaking only French at home at the age of 5.

Those numbers are interresting since they show we should be careful not to rely on clichés about the young or the immigrants ...

 

[Cuddles]

and some of whom are literate in some other language than English

I was wondering about this point. There's a decent size immigrant community here and it's not especially uncommon to come across people who can barely speak or understand English, but apparently have no trouble at all speaking their own language.

I see Flo has posted on that point about France though, which suggests that while it may be a significant minority, it's not likely to be the major factor.

What is the total number of school leavers each year?

From this article, 83,179 is 11% of GCSE students, since maths is compulsory. So that should make around 750,000 people leaving school each year.

 

[Professor Yaffle]

Well, according to the UK government's Department for Education (Professor Yaffle's post):


What is the total number of school leavers each year? My Google fu led me here, but alas I could not find an answer to that question.

If "functionally illiterate" in the above is the same as "fail to achieve a basic level of functional English", we could just do simple arithmetic to arrive at the answer, but I'm not sure that's true.

I think the phrase "fail to achieve a basic level of functional English" may refer to those who do not pass GCSE English as grade C or above. Those who don't pass may have relatively poor written skills - eg poor spelling, grammar or composition skills, but are not necessarily fuctionally illiterate.

 

[sphenisc]

More disappointing than that is the number of people who use language for a living who seem unable to express themselves correctly.

Yeah, you can't underestimate the importance of people expressing themselves correctly.