Each of the participants in the survey was evaluated based on these three aspects of literacy. When comparing literacy proficiencies by age, the older adults typically scored lower than the adults aged 16-59, and their proficiency levels average 48 points lower than the younger adults. In general, the more education that older adults had received, the higher their average literacy proficiency scores were. Accordingly, those older adults who had not earned a high school diploma had a much greater possibility of scoring in the lowest two levels than did either high school or college graduates. Older adults rely more heavily on newspapers, magazines, and television as sources of information, whereas younger adults place more reliance on radio and other family members.
Older adults are more likely to watch a greater amount of television than are younger adults.
In general, the older adults who watched a lot of TV had the lowest average profiency levels. Older adults are less likely to either read or write letters or memos than their younger counterparts. Further, the literacy proficiencies of those older adults who never read or write letters or memos averaged 45 points lower than the younger adults who never read or wrote letters or memos. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.