>This means that about one in five U.S. adults (21%) have low literacy skills
Do we have comparative data for other countries? May as well be an IQ artifact.
Considering that average
US IQ is 98, and assuming normal IQ distribution and that it's the dumbest people who are bad at reading, it would suggest that Americans with IQ below about 86 or so have low literacy skills... which seems completely obvious, as i don't think anyone has invented a trick to make even the stupid people highly literate.
well, there is a wikipedia chart that is very very out of date.
it shows varying rates. with top nations having 99%+
interestingly it shows usa as having 86% literacy, but does not specify the year.
this site is quite interesting:
Presents information from 1869-70-the date of the first Office of Education report-to the late 1970s on. The creation of the Federal Department of Education in 1867 highlighted the importance of education.
nces.ed.gov
> Percentage of persons 14 years old and over who were illiterate (unable to read or write in any language), by race and nativity: 1870 to 1979
1870 had 11.5% of whites, and 20% total illiterates in USA
this steadily improved until 1979 where the total was 0.6% illiterate.
But at some point started declining.
And we reached the 21% illiterates we are at today.
Found a government source for that 21% from 2012.
It somehow held steady at 21% all the way from 2012 to 2023 as per earlier source
Interestingly they 85% of them are native borns.
And racial spreadout is wide. 35% white, 23% black. 34% hispanic, and 8% other.
the only point of distinction is that for hispanics, most of the illiterates are migrants. while for all other races most of the illiterates were born and raised in the usa.