2 Description of Literacy

Levels

2 Assessment Design

2 Defining Literacy

4 Changes in Adult

Literacy

4 Nonliterate in English

5 Profile of Adults With

Below Basic Prose

Literacy

6 Literacy by Gender

8 Literacy by

Race/Ethnicity

10 Literacy by Age

12 Literacy by Language

Spoken Before Starting

School

14 Literacy by Educational

Attainment

16 Literacy by Employment

Status

18 Population and Sample

Size, and Data Collection

Procedures

18 Variable Definitions

19 Sample Assessment

Questions

28 Future NAAL Reports

28 NAAL on the Web

Figure 1. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by

race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003

Average score Prose Document Quantitative

1992 2003 Race/ethnicity

White Black Hispanic Asian/

Pacific

Islander

Total White Black Hispanic Asian/

Pacific

Islander

Total White Black Hispanic Asian/

Pacific

Islander

Total

0

150

200

250

300

500

276 275

287 288

237243*

234

216*

255

271* 271 271

281 282

230238* 238

224*

259

272 275283* 288

297*

222

238* 233 233

268

285

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Average Prose and Document Literacy Scores Rise for

Blacks and Asians But Decrease Among Hispanics

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) measures the English literacy of

America's adults (people age 16 and older living in households or prisons).The average quantitative literacy scores of adults increased 8 points between 1992 and 2003, though average prose and

document literacy did not differ significantly from 1992 (figure 1).

Among Blacks, average prose literacy scores increased by 6 points and average document literacy

scores rose by 8 points between 1992 and 2003 (figure 1).The average prose scores of

Asians/Pacific Islanders increased as well, rising 16 points between 1992 and 2003.The average

prose literacy scores of Hispanics fell 18 points from 1992 to 2003, while average document literacy scores decreased by 14 points.Average prose and document literacy scores among Whites

did not change significantly. (Differences are discussed in this report only if they were found to

be statistically significant at the .05 level. Standard errors for all tables and figures in this report

are available on the NAAL website.)

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were

allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in this

figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.Total includes White, Black,

Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Multiracial/Other. Although not reported separately, American Indians/Native Alaskans are included.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National

Assessment of Adult Literacy.

National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)

A First Look at the Literacy of 

America’s Adults in the 21st Century U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2006-470
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Assessment Design

The National Center for

Education Statistics (NCES)

asked the National Research

Council’s Board on Testing

and Assessment (BOTA) to

recommend a set of literacy

levels for the 2003 assessment

that would permit comparisons with results from the

1992 assessment.

Drawing on recommendations

from BOTA’s Committee on

Performance Levels for Adult

Literacy, NCES has decided to

report the assessment results

by using four literacy levels.

Descriptions of the abilities

associated with each level and

the types of tasks that adults at

each level could complete are

presented in table 1 on the

following page.The complete

BOTA report explaining their

methodology in setting levels

is available on the Web at

http://books.nap.edu/

catalog/11267.html.

Description of Literacy Levels

Defining Literacy

The assessment defines literacy as “using printed and written information to function in

society, to achieve one’s goals,

and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.” Results

are reported on three literacy

scales (see Sample Assessment

Questions section of the

report):

Prose Literacy

The knowledge and skills

needed to perform prose

tasks (i.e., to search, comprehend, and use information

from continuous texts).

Document Literacy

The knowledge and skills

needed to perform document

tasks (i.e., to search, comprehend, and use information

from noncontinuous texts in

various formats).

Quantitative Literacy

The knowledge and skills

required to perform quantitative tasks (i.e., to identify and

perform computations, either

alone or sequentially, using

numbers embedded in printed materials).

Unlike indirect measures of

literacy, which rely on selfreports of literacy skills or

educational attainment, the

assessment measures literacy by

asking respondents to demonstrate that they understand the

meaning of information found

in texts they are asked to read.

The literacy tasks in the assessment were drawn from actual

texts and documents, which

were either used in their original format or reproduced in

the assessment booklets. Each

question appeared before the

materials needed to answer it,

thus encouraging respondents

to read with purpose.

Respondents could correctly

answer many assessment questions by skimming the text or

document for the information necessary to perform a

given literacy task.All tasks

were open-ended.

A total of 152 prose, document, and quantitative literacy

tasks were included in the

2003 assessment. Sixty-five of

the tasks were taken from the

1992 survey and 87 were

developed for the 2003 assessment.Tasks from the 1992

survey were included in the

2003 assessment to measure

changes in literacy between

1992 and 2003.

Asking each respondent to

complete all the tasks would

be too time-consuming, so the

tasks were organized into 13

unique blocks. Respondents

were asked to complete an

assessment booklet that

included seven literacy screening tasks (with questions asked

in either English or Spanish

but based upon written materials presented in English only)

common to all booklets, followed by three blocks of tasks.

Adults who were unable to

answer a minimum number of

literacy screening tasks, but

who were able to communicate in either English or

Spanish, were administered an

alternative assessment with

questions asked orally in either

English or Spanish based upon

printed materials presented in

English only.Adults who were

not screened into the alternative assessment and completed

the main assessment attempted

approximately 40 literacy tasks

(administered in English only).

To compare results between

1992 and 2003, the 1992

results were rescaled using the

criteria and methods established for the 2003 assessment.

The assessment also included a

background questionnaire that

was used to collect data about

the relationship between literacy and various demographic

and background characteristics.The background questionnaire was administered before

the assessment and the questions were asked orally in

either English or Spanish.

See Population and Sample

Size, and Data Collection

Procedures section of this

report for more information

about the assessment.

2
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

3

Table 1. Overview of the literacy levels

Level and definition Key abilities associated with level Sample tasks typical of level

Below Basic indicates no

more than the most simple

and concrete literacy skills.

Score ranges for Below

Basic:

Prose: 0–209

Document: 0–204

Quantitative: 0–234

Basic indicates skills necessary to perform simple

and everyday literacy

activities.

Score ranges for Basic:

Prose: 210–264

Document: 205–249

Quantitative: 235–289

Intermediate indicates

skills necessary to perform

moderately challenging literacy activities.

Score ranges for

Intermediate:

Prose: 265–339

Document: 250–334

Quantitative: 290–349

Proficient indicates skills

necessary to perform more

complex and challenging

literacy activities.

Score ranges for Proficient:

Prose: 340–500

Document: 335–500

Quantitative: 350–500

Adults at the Below Basic level range from being nonliterate in

English to having the abilities listed below:

■ locating easily identifiable information in short, commonplace

prose texts

■ locating easily identifiable information and following written

instructions in simple documents (e.g., charts or forms) 

■ locating numbers and using them to perform simple

quantitative operations (primarily addition) when the

mathematical information is very concrete and familiar

■ reading and understanding information in short,

commonplace prose texts

■ reading and understanding information in simple documents

■ locating easily identifiable quantitative information and

using it to solve simple, one-step problems when the

arithmetic operation is specified or easily inferred

■ reading and understanding moderately dense, less

commonplace prose texts as well as summarizing, making

simple inferences, determining cause and effect, and

recognizing the author’s purpose

■ locating information in dense, complex documents and

making simple inferences about the information

■ locating less familiar quantitative information and using it to

solve problems when the arithmetic operation is not

specified or easily inferred

■ reading lengthy, complex, abstract prose texts as well as

synthesizing information and making complex inferences

■ integrating, synthesizing, and analyzing multiple pieces of

information located in complex documents

■ locating more abstract quantitative information and using it

to solve multistep problems when the arithmetic operations

are not easily inferred and the problems are more complex

■ searching a short, simple text to find out what a

patient is allowed to drink before a medical test

■ signing a form

■ adding the amounts on a bank deposit slip

■ finding in a pamphlet for prospective jurors an

explanation of how people were selected for

the jury pool

■ using a television guide to find out what

programs are on at a specific time

■ comparing the ticket prices for two events

■ consulting reference materials to determine

which foods contain a particular vitamin

■ identifying a specific location on a map 

■ calculating the total cost of ordering specific

office supplies from a catalog

■ comparing viewpoints in two editorials

■ interpreting a table about blood pressure, age,

and physical activity 

■ computing and comparing the cost per ounce

of food items

NOTE: Although the literacy levels share common names with the NAEP levels, they do not correspond to the NAEP levels.

SOURCE: Hauser, R.M, Edley, C.F. Jr., Koenig, J.A., and Elliott, S.W. (Eds.). (2005).Measuring Literacy: Performance Levels for Adults, Interim Report.Washington, DC: National Academies Press; White, S. and Dillow, S. (2005).Key Concepts and Features of

the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NCES 2006-471). U.S. Department of Education.Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

The percentage of adults

(people age 16 and older living in households or prisons)

with Below Basic document

literacy decreased 2 percentage points between 1992 and

2003 and the percentage of

adults with Below Basic quantitative literacy decreased by 4

percentage points (figure 2).

The percentage of adults with

Basic literacy did not change

significantly between 1992

and 2003 on any of the three

scales.The percentage of

adults with Intermediate document literacy increased by 

4 percentage points and the

percentage of adults with

Intermediate quantitative literacy increased by 3 percentage

points.The percentage of

adults with Proficient prose

and document literacy

decreased 2 percentage points

between 1992 and 2003.

Changes in Adult Literacy

Figure 2. Percentage of adults in each literacy level: 1992

and 2003

14

14

14

12*

26

22*

29 44 13*

22 49 15

22 53* 13*

32 30 13

33 33* 13

28 43 15

Literacy scale

and year

Prose

Document

Quantitative

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

2003

1992

2003

1992

2003

1992

Nonliterate in English

4

An additional component of

the adult population (defined

as people age 16 and older living in households or prisons)

is not shown in figure 2. Field

interviewers determined that 2

percent of adults in 2003 and

3 percent in 1992 could not

be tested because they spoke a

language other than English or

Spanish and were unable to

communicate in English or

Spanish.These adults are

included in the population

that is the basis for the percentages in figure 3, but not in

the population of adults that is

the basis for figure 2 and the

other figures in this report,

because there is little or no

background data on adults

who could not be tested.

In 2003, about 3 percent of

adults took an alternative

assessment because they were

unable to complete a minimum number of simple literacy screening questions.These

adults also performed in the

Below Basic category in figure

2. Questions on the alternative assessment were asked in

either English or Spanish, but

all written materials were in

English only.While some of

these individuals were able to

identify letters, numbers, and

simple words and phrases,

most were unable to read and

understand connected text in

English.These adults are also

nonliterate in English.

For 2003, these two groups of

adults who were nonliterate

in English—the 2 percent

who could not be tested

because they could not communicate in English or

Spanish and the 3 percent

who received the alternative

assessment—account for 

5 percent of the population

(11 million). For 1992, the

corresponding percentage

could not be estimated.An

unknown proportion of the

Below Basic population in that

year would have required such

an alternative assessment, but

it was not available then. In

addition to the adults who

could not be tested because of

a language difficulty (3 percent in 1992 and 2 percent in

2003), other adults could not

be tested because of a cognitive or mental disability that

precluded conducting the

interview (1 percent in 1992

and 1 percent in 2003).

Figure 3. Percentage of adults in selected prose literacy

levels, including adults who could not be tested:

1992 and 2003

Below Basic Basic and above Could not be tested 

due to language 

Year

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

2003

1992 3 13 83

2 13 84

Alternative assessment: 3

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons.Results do not add to 100

percent; adults who could not be interviewed because of cognitive or mental disabilities are not included in the totals.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living

in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

In 2003, 14 percent of

American adults (defined as

people age 16 and older living in households or prisons)

had Below Basic prose literacy (figure 2). Examining the

characteristics of these adults

provides a profile of the

adults with the lowest prose

literacy performance.

Hispanics, who represent 12

percent of the NAAL population, accounted for 39 percent of the adults with Below

Basic prose literacy (table 2).

Twenty percent of adults with

Below Basic prose literacy

were Black. In contrast, while

70 percent of the NAAL

population is White, 37 percent of adults with Below

Basic prose literacy were

White.

Adults age 65 or older represent 15 percent of the NAAL

population but 26 percent of

adults in the lowest prose literacy level (table 2).Although

35 percent of adults with

Below Basic prose literacy

spoke Spanish or Spanish and

another non-English language

before starting school, these

individuals account for 8 percent of the population.

Adults without a high school

degree or GED represent 15

percent of the total NAAL

population but 55 percent of

the adults in the lowest prose

literacy level (table 2). Fiftytwo percent of adults in the

total NAAL population completed at least some education beyond high school,

compared to 14 percent of

adults with Below Basic prose

literacy.

Forty-six percent of adults

with Below Basic prose literacy

had one or more disabilities,

compared to 30 percent of

adults in the NAAL population (table 2).The percentage

of adults with multiple disabilities in the Below Basic

prose level (21 percent) was

significantly higher than the

percentage of adults with

multiple disabilities in the

NAAL population (9 percent).

Table 2. Percentage of adults with selected characteristics in

the Below Basic prose literacy level and in the total

NAAL population: 2003

Total NAAL

Characteristic Below Basic population

Race/ethnicity

White 37 70

Black 20 12

Hispanic 39 12

Asian/Pacific Islander 44

Gender

Male 46 49

Female 54 51

Age

16–18 5 6

19–24 9 11

25–39 25 28

40–49 16 20

50–64 20 21

65+ 26 15

Language spoken before 

starting school

English only 52 81

English and Spanish 22

English and other language 2 4

Spanish 35 8

Other language 9 5

Educational attainment

Less than/some high school 55 15

GED/high school equivalency4 5

High school graduate 23 26

Vocational/trade/business school 4 6

Some college 4 11

Associate’s/2-year degree 3 12

College graduate 2 12

Graduate studies/degree 1 11

Disability status

Vision problem only 7 5

Hearing problem only 4 5

Learning disability only 4 3

Other disability only 10 8

Multiple disabilities 21 9

No disabilities 54 70

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table. In 1992, respondents were

allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent of

respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in

this table. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.The English and Spanish category includes adults who spoke only English and

Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another non-English language.The Spanish category

includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke Spanish and another non-English language.

The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak English or Spanish.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003

National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Profile of Adults With Below Basic Prose Literacy

5
In 2003, average prose literacy

and average document literacy were higher for women

than for men, while average

quantitative literacy was higher for men than for women

(figure 4).

Between 1992 and 2003, the

average prose score for

women remained at 277,

while the average prose score

for men decreased by 4

points (figure 4). On the document literacy scale, women

gained 4 points between

1992 and 2003, while the

average score for men

dropped by 5 points.

In 2003, the average quantitative literacy score for

women increased 10 points

from 1992, while average

quantitative literacy for men

was not significantly different

from 1992 (figure 4).

The distribution of men and

women across the literacy levels also changed between 1992

and 2003 (figures 5, 6, and 7).

Literacy by Gender

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Figure 4. Average prose, document, and quantitative

literacy scores of adults, by gender: 1992 and 2003

276 272* 277 277 274 269* 268 272*

283 286

269

279*

Average score

0

150

200

250

300

500 Prose Document Quantitative

1992 2003 Gender

Men Women Women Women Men Men

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not

be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992)

are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

6
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

7

Figure 7. Percentage of adults in each quantitative literacy

level, by gender: 1992 and 2003

24

21*

22*

29 31 17

31* 33* 16

28 34 28 9

35 32* 11*

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

2003

1992

2003

1992

Gender and year

Men

Women

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living

in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Figure 5. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level, by

gender: 1992 and 2003

15

15

13

12

27 42 16

29 43 13*

29 44 14

29 46 14

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

2003

1992

2003

1992

Gender and year

Men

Women

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living

in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Figure 6. Percentage of adults in each document literacy

level, by gender: 1992 and 2003

14

14

14

11*

21 49 17

23* 51* 13*

23 50 13

22 54* 13

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

2003

1992

2003

1992

Gender and year

Men

Women

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

On the quantitative scale, for

example, the percentage of

men and women with Below

Basic literacy decreased

between 1992 and 2003 (figure 7). For men, the percentage with Below Basic quantitative literacy declined by 3 percentage points, while the percentage of women with Below

Basic quantitative literacy fell

by 6 percentage points.

The percentage of women

with Below Basic document

literacy also decreased, from

14 percent in 1992 to 11

percent in 2003 (figure 6).

Despite the overall gain made

by women in quantitative literacy, in 2003, the percentage

of men with Proficient quantitative literacy was 5 percentage points higher than the

percentage of women (figure

7). For the prose and document scales, there were no

significant differences between

the percentage of men and

women with Proficient literacy

(figures 5 and 6).
The percentage of Whites,

Blacks, and Asians/Pacific

Islanders with Below Basic literacy decreased between

1992 and 2003 on the prose,

document, and quantitative

scales (figures 8, 9, and 10).

Among Hispanics, the percentage with Below Basic

prose literacy increased 9

percentage points between

1992 and 2003, while the

percentage with Below Basic

document literacy increased 8

percentage points (figures 8

and 9).The percentage of

Hispanics with Below Basic

quantitative literacy was 50

percent in both 1992 and

2003 (figure 10).

Although the percentage of

Hispanics with Below Basic

Literacy by Race/Ethnicity

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Figure 8. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level,

by race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003

2003

1992

2003

1992

2003

1992

2003

1992

41 27 2

43 31* 2

30* 23* 4*

9

7*

30

24*

35

44*

25

14*

25 48 18

25 51* 17

33 28 5

30 36 9

32 42 12

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian/

Pacific Islander

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

Race/ethnicity

and year

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were

allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent

of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in this figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific

Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

NAAL Population,

1992 and 2003

Table 3. Percentage of

adults, by

race/ethnicity:

1992 and 2003

Race/ethnicity 1992 2003

White 77 70*

Black 11 12

Hispanic 8 12*

Asian/Pacific Islander 2 4*

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of

rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of

age and older. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or

mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table. In 1992,

respondents were allowed to identify only one

race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify

multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent of respondents

identified multiple races and are not included in

the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in this table. All adults of Hispanic origin are

classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The

Asian/Pacific Islander category includes Native

Hawaiians.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of

Education Sciences, National Center for Education

Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and

2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

The percentage of Whites

decreased between 1992

and 2003, while the percentage of Hispanics and

Asians/Pacific Islanders

increased.The percentage

of Hispanics rose 4 percentage points and the

percentage of Asians/

Pacific Islanders increased

2 percentage points.The

percentage of Blacks did

not differ significantly

between 1992 and 2003.

8
document literacy increased

between 1992 and 2003, the

percentage of Hispanics with

Below Basic document literacy was lower than the percentage of Hispanics with

Below Basic prose or quantitative literacy (figures 8, 9,

and 10).

For prose, document, and

quantitative literacy in 2003,

the percentage of Whites and

Asians/Pacific Islanders with

Proficient literacy was significantly higher than the 

percentage of Blacks and

Hispanics (figures 8, 9, and

10).A higher percentage of

Whites than Asians/Pacific

Islanders had Proficient prose

literacy (figure 8). On all

three scales, Hispanics were

more likely than Blacks to

have Proficient literacy (figures

8, 9, and 10).

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

9

Figure 9. Percentage of adults in each document literacy

level, by race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003

2003

1992

2003

1992

2003

1992

2003

1992

19 53 18

19 58* 15*

33 34 2

35 40* 2

29 38 5

26* 33* 5

23 48 10

22 54 13

10

8*

31

24*

28

36*

19

11*

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian/

Pacific Islander

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

Race/ethnicity

and year

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were

allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent

of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in this figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific

Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Figure 10. Percentage of adults in each quantitative literacy

level, by race/ethnicity: 1992 and 2003

2003

1992

2003

1992

2003

1992

2003

1992

32 34 15

32 39* 17

30 12 1

36* 15* 2

31 16 3

29 17 4

29 28 12

34 35 12

19

13*

57

47*

50

50

31

19*

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian/

Pacific Islander

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

Race/ethnicity

and year

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure. In 1992, respondents were

allowed to identify only one race. In 2003, respondents were allowed to identify multiple races. In 2003, 2 percent

of respondents identified multiple races and are not included in the White, Black, or Asian/Pacific Islander categories in this figure. All adults of Hispanic origin are classified as Hispanic, regardless of race.The Asian/Pacific

Islander category includes Native Hawaiians.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The average prose, document,

and quantitative literacy of

adults in the oldest age groups

(50 to 64 and 65 and older)

increased between 1992 and

2003 (figure 11). For the same

groups of adults, the percentage with Below Basic literacy

fell across the literacy scales

(figures 12 and 13; results for

the quantitative scale are not

shown here but are available

on the NAAL website).

Although the average literacy

of adults age 65 and older

increased between 1992 and

2003, adults in this age group

had the lowest average literacy in 2003 and accounted for

the largest percentage of

adults with Below Basic prose,

document, and quantitative

literacy in 2003 (figures 11,

12, and 13; quantitative levels

not shown).Among adults

age 65 and older, 23 percent

had Below Basic prose literacy,

27 percent had Below Basic

document literacy, and 

Literacy by Age

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Figure 11. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by age:

1992 and 2003

Average score Prose Document Quantitative

0

150

200

250

300

500

Age

16–18 19–24 25–39 40–49 50–64 65+ 16–18 19–24 25–39 40–49 50–64 65+ 16–18 19–24 25–39 40–49 50–64 65+

1992 2003

270

280 288 293

269

235

267

276 283* 282*

278*

248*

270

282 286 284

258

221

268

277 282 277*

270*

235*

264

277

286

292

272

235

267

279

292*

289

289*

257*

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National

Assessment of Adult Literacy.

NAAL Population,

1992 and 2003

Table 4. Percentage of

adults, by age

groups: 1992 and

2003

Age 1992 2003

16–18 6 6

19–24 13 11*

25–39 33 28*

40–49 17 20*

50–64 16 21*

65+ 15 15

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of

rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of

age and older living in households or prisons.

Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3

percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of

Education Sciences, National Center for Education

Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and

2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

The aging of America’s

adults is reflected in the

increase in the percentage

of adults between the ages

of 40 and 49 and between

the ages of 50 and 64.

While the percentage of

adults in these age groups

rose between 1992 and

2003, the percentage of

adults between the ages of

19 and 24 and between 25

and 39 decreased.

10
34 percent had Below Basic

quantitative literacy.

Average prose literacy scores

for adults in the 25 to 39 and

40 to 49 age groups fell from

1992 to 2003 (figure 11).

Average document literacy

decreased for adults ages 40

to 49, while the average

quantitative literacy of adults

ages 25 to 39 increased.

Average literacy for adults in

the 16 to 18 and 19 to 24

age groups was not significantly different in 1992 and

2003 across the literacy scales

(figure 11).

Among adults ages 50 to 64,

the percentage with Proficient

prose, document, and quantitative literacy increased

between 1992 and 2003 

(figures 12 and 13; quantitative data not shown).The

percentage of adults age 65

and older with Proficient literacy did not change on any of

the three scales between 1992

and 2003.

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

11

Figure 12. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level,

by age: 1992 and 2003

10

11

10

11

10

12*

9

11

16

13*

33

23*

35 49 6

37 48 5

29 49 13

29 48 12

24 46 20

25 45 18

23 45 23

27* 47 15*

31 43 11

27* 44 15*

37 27 3

38 34* 4

2003

1992 16–18

2003

1992 19–24

2003

1992 25–39

2003

1992 40–49

2003

1992 50–64

2003

1992 65+

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

Age and year

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Figure 13. Percentage of adults in each document literacy

level, by age: 1992 and 2003

10

11

7

9

9

8

10

10

17

12*

38

27*

24 57 10

24 56 9

19 58 15

20 58 13

18 53 21

19 56* 17*

18 52 20

20* 54 15*

27 48 9

23* 54* 12*

31 29 2

33 38* 3

2003

1992 16–18

2003

1992 19–24

2003

1992 25–39

2003

1992 40–49

2003

1992 50–64

2003

1992 65+

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

Age and year

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Scores for adults who spoke

Spanish or Spanish and another non-English language

before starting school dropped

17 points from 1992 to 2003

for prose and document literacy but did not change significantly for quantitative literacy

(figure 14).The average prose

and document literacy of

adults who spoke English

before starting school (English

only, English and Spanish,

English and other language)

did not change significantly

between 1992 and 2003,

although their average quantitative literacy increased.

Fewer adults who spoke

English only or English and

a non-Spanish language

before starting school had

Below Basic prose, document,

and quantitative literacy in

2003 than in 1992 (figures

15 and 16; results for the

quantitative scale are not

Figure 14. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by

language spoken before starting school: 1992 and 2003

270*

Average score

0

150

200

250

300

500

282283

255262

273278

205

188*

239

249

275276

253259 260268

216

199*

241

257*

280

289*

247

261*

271

289*

212211

246

1992 2003

Prose Document Quantitative

English

only

English

and

Spanish

English

and other

language

Spanish Other

language

English

only

English

and

Spanish

English

and other

language

Spanish Other

language

English

only

English

and

Spanish

English

and other

language

Spanish Other

language

Language spoken before starting school

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.The English and Spanish category includes adults who spoke only English and Spanish, as

well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another non-English language.The Spanish category includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke

Spanish and another non-English language.The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak English or Spanish.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National

Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Literacy by Language Spoken Before Starting School

NAAL Population,

1992 and 2003

Table 5. Percentage of

adults, by

language spoken

before starting

school: 1992 and

2003

Language spoken 

before starting school 1992 2003

English only 86 81*

English and Spanish 2 2

English and other language 3 4

Spanish 5 8*

Other language 4 5

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of

rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of

age and older living in households or prisons.

Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3

percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table. The English and Spanish category includes adults who spoke only English and

Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English,

Spanish, and another non-English language.The

Spanish category includes adults who spoke only

Spanish, as well as adults who spoke Spanish and

another non-English language.The Other language

category includes only adults who did not speak

English or Spanish.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of

Education Sciences, National Center for Education

Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and

2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

The language background

of America’s adults

changed between 1992

and 2003.The percentage

of adults who spoke

English before starting

school decreased, while the

percentage of adults who

spoke Spanish or Spanish

and another non-English

language before starting

school increased.

12
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Figure 15. Percentage of adults in each prose literacy level,

by language spoken before starting school:

1992 and 2003

11 27 46 16

9* 27 49* 15

19

14

15

7*

52

61*

32

26

38 39 4

38 42 6

30 43 13

33 51* 9

30 16 2

25* 13* 1*

35 29 5

33 34 7

2003

1992 English only

2003

1992 English and

 Spanish

2003

English and 1992 other

 language

2003

1992

Spanish

2003

1992 Other

 language

Language spoken before starting school and year

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.The English and Spanish category includes adults who spoke only English and Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another

non-English language.The Spanish category includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke

Spanish and another non-English language.The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak

English or Spanish.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Figure 16. Percentage of adults in each document literacy

level, by language spoken before starting

school: 1992 and 2003

2003

1992 English only

2003

1992 English and

 Spanish

2003

English and 1992 other

 language

2003

1992

Spanish

2003

1992 Other

 language

12

9*

18

12

19

10*

41

49*

29

20*

Language spoken before starting school and year

21 51 16

21 56* 13*

30 45 7

29 54*

25 57* 8

30 27 2

25* 23 3

26 39 7

24 46* 10*

24 46 11

5

Percent Below Basic Percent Basic and above

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 100 80 90

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental

disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.The English and Spanish category includes adults who spoke only English and Spanish, as well as adults who spoke English, Spanish, and another

non-English language.The Spanish category includes adults who spoke only Spanish, as well as adults who spoke

Spanish and another non-English language.The Other language category includes only adults who did not speak

English or Spanish.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

shown here but are available

on the NAAL website).

Among adults who spoke

Spanish or Spanish and

another non-English language before starting school,

the percentage with Below

Basic prose and document literacy increased between

1992 and 2003 (figures 15

and 16).

Average document literacy in

2003 was highest for the

English-language-only group

(figure 14). Prose and quantitative literacy did not differ

significantly between the

English-language-only and

the English and other language groups.

In 2003, among adults who

spoke Spanish or Spanish and

another non-English language

before starting school, 61 percent had Below Basic prose literacy, 49 percent had Below

Basic document literacy, and

62 percent had Below Basic

quantitative literacy (figures

15 and 16; quantitative data

not shown).

13
Average prose literacy

decreased for all levels of educational attainment between

1992 and 2003, with the

exception of adults who were

still in high school or completed a GED (table 7).

Average document literacy

also decreased among adults

who completed education

above a vocational, trade, or

business school. Differences in

document literacy in 1992

and 2003 were not significant

for adults with educational

attainment less than some

college.There were no significant differences in average

quantitative literacy between

1992 and 2003 for any educational attainment level.

In 2003, literacy was lowest

across the three scales for

adults who did not complete

high school; these adults also

accounted for the largest

group with Below Basic prose,

document, and quantitative literacy (tables 7 and 8). On the

quantitative scale, for example,

over 60 percent of adults

without a high school degree

had Below Basic literacy.

Literacy by Educational Attainment

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

NAAL Population,

1992 and 2003

Table 6. Percentage of

adults, by

educational

attainment: 1992

and 2003

Educational attainment 1992 2003

Still in high school 4 3*

Less than/some high school 21 15*

GED/high school equivalency 4 5*

High school graduate 27 26*

Vocational/trade/

business school 5 6

Some college 9 11*

Associate’s/2-year degree 11 12*

College graduate 10 12*

Graduate studies/degree 9 11*

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of

rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of

age and older living in households or prisons.

Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3

percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of

Education Sciences, National Center for Education

Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and

2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

The educational attainment of America’s adults

increased between 1992

and 2003.The percentage

of adults with less than a

high school degree or

GED/Equivalency

decreased by 6 percentage

points, while more adults

completed an associate’s

degree or more education.

14

Table 7. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores

of adults, by educational attainment: 1992 and 2003

Literacy scale and 

educational attainment 1992 2003

Prose

Still in high school 268 262

Less than/some high school 216 207*

GED/high school equivalency 265 260

High school graduate 268 262*

Vocational/trade/business school 278 268*

Some college 292 287*

Associate’s/2-year degree 306 298*

College graduate 325 314*

Graduate studies/degree 340 327*

Document

Still in high school 270 265

Less than/some high school 211 208

GED/high school equivalency 259 257

High school graduate 261 258

Vocational/trade/business school 273 267

Some college 288 280*

Associate’s/2-year degree 301 291*

College graduate 317 303*

Graduate studies/degree 328 311*

Quantitative

Still in high school 263 261

Less than/some high school 209 211

GED/high school equivalency 265 265

High school graduate 267 269

Vocational/trade/business school 280 279

Some college 295 294

Associate’s/2-year degree 305 305

College graduate 324 323

Graduate studies/degree 336 332

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed

due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National

Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
In 2003, prose, document, and

quantitative literacy rose with

successive levels of educational

attainment beginning with

the completion of high school

(table 7).Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy

for adults who completed a

GED was not significantly

different from that of adults

who stopped their education

after graduating high school.

The declining performance of

adults with higher educational attainment was reflected in

the decrease between 1992

and 2003 in the percentage of

adults with postsecondary

degrees with Proficient prose

and document literacy (table

8). On the prose scale, the

percentage of college graduates with Proficient literacy

decreased from 40 percent in

1992 to 31 percent in 2003.

For adults who took graduate

classes or completed a graduate degree, the percentage

with Proficient prose literacy

fell 10 percentage points

between 1992 and 2003.

The distribution of adults

across the four literacy levels

on the quantitative scale did

not change significantly

between 1992 and 2003

within any of the educational

attainment categories.

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Table 8. Percentage of adults in each prose, document, and quantitative literacy level, by

educational attainment: 1992 and 2003

Literacy scale and 

educational attainment 1992 2003 1992 2003 1992 2003 1992 2003

Prose

Still in high school 11 14 36 37 47 45 6 4

Less than/some high school 45 50* 38 33* 17 16 1 1

GED/high school equivalency 9 10 42 45 46 43 3 3

High school graduate 11 13 37 39 48 44* 5 4

Vocational/trade/business school 9 10 29 36* 53 49 9 5*

Some college 4 5 23 25 59 59 14 11

Associate’s/2-year degree 2 4* 16 20* 58 56 23 19

College graduate 2 3 10 14* 49 53 40 31*

Graduate studies/degree 1 1 6 10* 43 48 51 41*

Document

Still in high school 10 13 24 24 57 54 9 9

Less than/some high school 44 45 32 29* 23 25 1 2

GED/high school equivalency 9 13 31 30 58 53 3 4

High school graduate 12 13 28 29 54 52 6 5

Vocational/trade/business school 8 9 22 26 60 59 10 7

Some college 4 5 15 19* 67 65 14 10

Associate’s/2-year degree 3 3 12 15 60 66* 25 16*

College graduate 2 2 9 11 52 62* 37 25*

Graduate studies/degree 1 1 5 9* 48 59* 45 31*

Quantitative

Still in high school 31 31 37 38 27 25 6 5

Less than/some high school 65 64 25 25 9 10 1 1

GED/high school equivalency 25 26 46 43 26 28 3 3

High school graduate 26 24 41 42 29 29 5 5

Vocational/trade/business school 18 18 39 41 35 35 8 6

Some college 11 10 34 36 42 43 13 11

Associate’s/2-year degree 8 7 29 30 45 45 18 18

College graduate 5 4 21 22 44 43 31 31

Graduate studies/degree 2 3 15 18 43 43 39 36

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment

of Adult Literacy.

15

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient
The ability to complete different literacy tasks may influence employability, so it is

useful to look at the distribution of adults by literacy levels across the four categories

of employment.Among adults

with Below Basic prose literacy, 51 percent were not in the

labor force in 2003, while 35

percent were employed full

time (figure 17; results for the

document and quantitative

scales are not shown here but

are available on the NAAL

website).

The percentage of adults

with Below Basic prose literacy who were employed full

time increased 6 percentage

points between 1992 and

2003, and the percentage

with Below Basic document

literacy who were employed

full time increased 5 percentage points (figure 17; document and quantitative results

not shown). For adults with

Basic prose literacy, 38 percent were not in the labor

force and 6 percent were

unemployed.

Sixty-four percent of adults

with Proficient prose literacy

and 54 percent of adults with

Intermediate prose literacy

were employed full time 

(figure 17). Eighteen percent

Literacy by Employment Status

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Figure 17. Percentage of adults in each employment

category, by prose literacy level: 1992 and 2003

57

6

29

8

51*

5

10

35*

40

6

12

42

38

6

12

44

26

5

15

54

27

5

14

54

17

3

14

66

18

3

14

64

Literacy level and year

1992 2003

Below Basic

1992 2003

Basic

1992 2003

Intermediate

1992 2003

Proficient

Percent not

 employed

Percent

 employed

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

Full time Part time Unemployed Not in labor force

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.Adults are defined as people 16 years of age or older living

in households. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3

percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992

National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

NAAL Population,

1992 and 2003

Table 9. Percentage of

adults, by

employment

status: 1992 and

2003

Employment status 1992 2003

Full time 49 50

Part time 13 13

Unemployed 5 5

Not in labor force 33 32

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of

rounding. Adults are defined as people 16 years of

age or older living in households. Adults who could

not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and

4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this table.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of

Education Sciences, National Center for Education

Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and

2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

The employment status of

America’s adults did not

change significantly

between 1992 and 2003.

Over 60 percent of all

adults were employed

either full or part time.

16
17

Figure 18. Average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores of adults, by

employment status: 1992 and 2003

Average score

0

150

200

250

300

500

290285* 285 281

263 269

252 255

286 281* 279 277

261 265

244 250*

292 296*

281 287*

261

270

247

261*

Prose Document Quantitative

Full time Part time Unemployed Not in 

labor force

Full time Part time Unemployed Not in 

labor force

Full time Part time Unemployed Not in 

labor force

1992 2003 Employment status

* Significantly different from 1992.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age or older living in households. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003 and 4 percent in 1992) are excluded from this figure.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey and 2003 National

Assessment of Adult Literacy.

of adults with Proficient prose

literacy and 27 percent of

adults with Intermediate prose

literacy were not in the labor

force; 3 percent of adults with

Proficient prose literacy and 5

percent of adults with

Intermediate prose literacy

were unemployed.

Among adults employed full

time, average prose and document literacy scores decreased

by 5 points between 1992

and 2003, while average

quantitative scores rose by 

4 points (figure 18).Average

quantitative literacy also

increased between 1992 and

2003 for adults employed part

time and those not in the

labor force.

In 2003, average prose and

document literacy was highest among adults employed

full or part time (the differences between these groups

were not statistically significant), and average quantitative literacy was highest for

adults employed full time

(figure 18). Literacy was lowest across the three scales for

adults who were not in the

labor force.

A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

18

The 2003 assessment was

administered to a nationally

representative sample of

19,714 adults ages 16 and

older residing in households

or prisons.

A smaller number of respondents (1,173) were selected

for the prison sample and

were interviewed in the facilities where they were incarcerated. Sampled adults residing in households, but temporarily in jail—where the

median stay is about two

weeks—would have been

interviewed at some other

time during the ten month

period of data collection.

The household sample is representative of the 221,020,000

adults in households, while

the prison sample is representative of the 1,380,000 adults

in prisons in 2003.

Data collection for the

household sample was conducted between May 2003

and February 2004 and for

the prison sample between

March 2004 and July 2004.

The household and prison

samples were combined to

create a national sample representative of the 222,400,000

American adults in households or prisons.

Administration procedures for

the 2003 assessment were

changed to provide more

accurate data about English

literacy levels of adults. One

change was designed to

increase the number of

Spanish speaking adults who

could participate in the study.

In 1992, the easy literacy tasks

at the beginning of the assessment were presented in

English only. In 2003, the

corresponding tasks were presented in either English or

Spanish, although the materials to be read were presented

only in English.As a result,

fewer adults had to be

excluded due to the language

of the interview.

A second change was

designed to make the assessment more like the demands

of everyday life. In 1992,

respondents were not allowed

to use a calculator for most

quantitative literacy questions.

In 2003, respondents had

access to a calculator.

Allowing respondents to use

calculators is consistent with

the assessment's functional

definition of literacy. Both of

these changes require some

caution in interpreting the

changes in literacy levels from

1992 to 2003, but result in

the ability of the 2003 assessment to provide more accurate data about the English

literacy levels of adults.

The final household sample

response rate was 62 percent

and the final prison sample

response rate was 88 percent.

NCES statistical standards

require a nonresponse bias

analysis when the unit

response rate for a sample is

less than 85 percent.The 

nonresponse bias analysis of

the household sample revealed

differences in the background

characteristics of respondents

who participated in the assessment compared to those who

refused. Detailed information

about the nonresponse bias

analysis is available on the

NAAL website.

A nonresponse bias adjustment was performed to

reduce the bias due to

respondent refusal.The

adjustment corrected for the

initial nonresponse bias,

resulting in negligible bias for

the household sample.The

adjustment procedures are

discussed in detail in the

forthcoming 2003 NAAL

Technical Report.The analyses presented in this report

are based on data from the

corrected household sample

and the prison sample.

Population and Sample Size, and Data Collection Procedures

Definitions of all population

groups presented in this report

are available on the NAAL website. Literacy results for adults

who indicated they were

American Indian/Alaska Native

or Multiracial/Other are not

reported separately but are

included in the total population

literacy estimates.

Comparisons between 1992 and

2003 for multiracial adults are not

possible because respondents

were allowed to identify only one

race in 1992. In 2003, about 2 percent of respondents identified

multiple races. Due to small sample sizes, the Multiracial and

Other categories were combined.

Results for Multiracial/Other and

American Indian/Alaska Native

adults, as well as results by

Hispanic origin, will be included

in future NAAL reports.

All respondents were asked to

report their birth dates, and this

information was used to calculate their age. Age groups

reported are 16 to 18, 19 to 24,

25 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 64, and

65 and older. Age groups were

selected to correspond to the

key life stages of many adults

(though not all adults enter the

stages at the ages specified):

■ 16 to 18: Completion of

secondary education

■ 19 to 24: College or job

training

■ 25 to 39: Early career

■ 40 to 49: Mid career

■ 50 to 64: Late career

■ 65 and older: Retirement 

Variable Definitions
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

19

Sample Assessment Questions

Respondents who participated in the 2003 assessment were asked to complete prose, document,

and quantitative literacy tasks of varying levels of difficulty. The sample questions on the following

pages illustrate the types of tasks used to measure the literacy of America's adults. These questions

were originally developed for the 1992 survey and were reused in 2003.

Consistent with the design of the assessment, each sample question appears before the text or document needed to answer the question. The percentage of respondents who answered the question

correctly is reported, as well as the percentage of correct responses for each of the four literacy

assessment levels.

More information about the sample assessment questions can be found on the Web at

http://nces.ed.gov/naal.
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

20

Prose Literacy Question

Refer to the article on the next page to answer the following question.

According to the brochure, why is it difficult for people to know if they have high blood pressure?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Correct answer

All Adults Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

74 11 70 96 100

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons.Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded from these data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Any statement such as the following:

Symptoms are not usually present

High blood pressure is silent

Percentage of adults who answered the question correctly, 2003
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

21

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A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

22

Prose Literacy Question

Refer to the article on the next page to answer the following question.

What is the purpose of the Se Habla Español expo?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Any statement such as the following:

To enable people to better serve and sell to the Hispanic community

To improve marketing strategies to the Hispanic community

To enable people to establish contacts to serve the Hispanic community

Correct answer

All Adults Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

16 # 3 16 60

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons. Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded from these data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Percentage of adults who answered the question correctly, 2003
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

23

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A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

24

Junior high teachers

Correct answer

Seventy-eight percent of what specific group agree that their school does a good job of encouraging

parental involvement in educational areas?

______________________________________________________________________________________

Document Literacy Question

Reduced from original copy

All Adults Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

36 # 4 47 98

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons.Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded from these data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Percentage of adults who answered the question correctly, 2003
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

25

Suppose that you had your oil tank filled with 140.0 gallons of oil, as indicated on the bill, and you wanted

to take advantage of the five cents ($.05) per gallon deduction.

1. Figure out how much the deduction would be if you paid the bill within 10 days. Enter the amount of

the deduction on the bill in the space provided.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Quantitative Literacy Question

Reduced from original copy

$7.00

Correct answer

All Adults Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

52 1 40 92 100

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons.Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded from these data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Percentage of adults who answered the question correctly, 2003
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

Document & Quantitative Literacy Questions

Refer to the form on the next page to answer the following question.

Use the following information to fill in the receipt for certified mail.Then fill in the "TOTAL Postage and

Fees" line.

● You are sending a package to Doris Carter.

● Her address is 19 Main Street,Augusta, GA 30901.

● The postage for the package is $1.86.

● The fee for certified mail is $0.75.

This is an example of a task that was scored in three separate parts and treated as three separate questions. The first

two questions were included on the document scale and the third question was included on the quantitative scale.

Question 1 (Document): Enters name and address correctly. No penalty for misspelling.

Correct answer

Correct answer

Question 3 (Quantitative): Either of the following:

Correctly totals postage and fees: $2.61

Correctly totals incorrect fees entered on form

Question 2 (Document): Enters $1.86 and $0.75 on the postage and certified fees lines respectively.

Correct answer

All Adults Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

65 8 54 86 97

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons.Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded from these data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Percentage of adults who answered the question correctly, 2003

All Adults Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

76 13 73 96 100

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons.Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded from these data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Percentage of adults who answered the question correctly, 2003

All Adults Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient

78 33 88 96 99

NOTE: Adults are defined as people 16 years of age and older living in households or prisons.Adults who could not be interviewed due to language spoken or cognitive or mental disabilities (3 percent in 2003) are excluded from these data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.

Percentage of adults who answered the question correctly, 2003

26
A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century

27

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Future NAAL Reports

In addition to providing 

estimates of the literacy of

America’s adults, the 2003

assessment collected extensive

information about characteristics of the adult population and

literacy activities among adults.

Future NAAL reports will cover

a variety of topics, including:

■ Literacy in workplace, family,

and community settings,

including the use of technology and health literacy

■ Fluency and basic reading

skills, including the literacy

of America’s least literate

adults

■ Literacy of incarcerated

adults

■ Technical issues associated

with the assessment and

instructions for using the

data file

■ Analysis of different dimensions of literacy

NAAL on the Web: http://nces.ed.gov/naal

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy website provides easy access to:

■ Overview of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy

■ Results from the 2003 and 1992 literacy assessments, including previously 

published reports

■ Technical information about the 2003 assessment, including definitions of reporting groups, sampling and data collection, and methods for estimating 

literacy scores

■ Prose, document, and quantitative literacy estimates (means and percentage in

each literacy level) and standard errors for the population groups summarized in

this report

■ Downloadable fact sheets on the components and new features of the 2003

assessment

■ Searchable questions tool featuring released items from the 2003 and 1992 

assessments

■ Webcast presentations on the 2003 assessment

■ Major government, national, and international adult literacy websites

■ Public-use data files to facilitate secondary analysis.

Visit the NAAL website to learn more about upcoming reports, news, and events.

U.S. Department of Education

ED Pubs

8242-B Sandy Court

Jessup, MD 20794-1398

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use, $300

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

U.S. DEPARTMENT 

OF EDUCATION

PERMIT NO. G-17

This report was prepared by Mark Kutner, Elizabeth Greenberg, and Justin Baer at the American Institutes 

for Research. For further information, contact Sheida White, NAAL Project Officer, NCES, at sheida.white@ed.gov.