Author Description

The reading, writing, and numeracy skills of adults in Wales were examined by interviewing 2,853 adults aged 16-64 years. A quota sampling method and weighting procedure were used to obtain a study sample that was representative from the standpoints of age, gender, and geographic location. Respondents completed 12 literacy and 8 numeracy tasks encountered in everyday life. Of those surveyed, 2% had difficulty spelling easy words, 32% had trouble spelling more complex words, 6% had very low reading skills, 10% had low reading skills, 15% had very low numeracy skills, and 29% had low numeracy skills. Problems with literacy and numeracy were found in all age groups but were more frequent among women than among men. Consistent relationships were found between poor basic skills, unemployment, and social class. Individuals with poor basic skills were most likely to have left school at 16. Of the eight local education authorities in Wales when the study was undertaken, Mid Glamorgan and Gwent were the two with the most literacy and numeracy problems. Fluent Welsh speakers were less likely to have very low or low reading skills than were non-Welsh speakers. (MN)