13% of Adults Can’t Read Plain English, U.S. Tests Find

WASHINGTON —  At least 13% of American adults cannot understand simple instructions written in English, and the illiteracy rate is five times higher in cities than in rural areas, a government report showed Monday.

The 1982 Census Bureau study of 3,400 adults in the United States shattered previous government estimates of illiteracy rates and disproved the long-held belief that the problem was worse on the farm than in the city.

Robert Barnes, who supervised the study, said that he was not surprised that the survey found a much larger number of American adults are illiterate in English--between 17 million and 21 million, or 13% overall--than previous government studies had found.

Barnes, acting director of the Department of Education’s planning and technical analysis division, said that the findings reinforced the notion that formal schooling is the most important factor in literacy but, he said, the study also found that “immigration is a substantial factor.”

The illiteracy rate among American adults whose native language is English was found to be 9%, Barnes said. Among the adults whose native language is other than English, the illiteracy rate was 48%--although a large proportion of those people are able to read their native languages.

Blames Dropout Rate

The high illiteracy rate among native English speakers, he said, is largely attributable to a school dropout rate of more than 20%.

“I think that a substantial part is the kids dropping out who never really learned to read, for whom school is an embarrassing endeavor,” Barnes said. He blamed that on longtime school policies of grade promotions based on age.

Considered Inaccurate

The Census Bureau’s 1979 estimate that 0.5% of Americans over age 14 were illiterate had long been considered inaccurate, but the $2.5 million English Language Proficiency Survey was the first government study to refute those figures. It is different from previous studies in that it included non-English-speaking Americans and did not base its figures strictly on the number of years of schooling completed.

Barnes said that the latest study, based on written, multiple-choice tests originally designed to determine whether government notices and applications could be read by the average adult, still did not find illiteracy rates as high as other private surveys and probably provided a “floor” figure, or minimum rate of illiteracy.

Barnes said that he was most surprised by the finding that literacy was higher in rural areas. He said it indicates that “internal migration” from the country to the city is also an important factor in illiteracy.

Statistics Broken Down

The study found that of all the adults classified as illiterate:

--41% live in central cities of metropolitan areas; 8% live in rural areas.

--56% are under age 50.

--37% speak a language other than English at home.

The survey also found that among the native English-speakers classified as illiterate:

--70% did not finish high school.

--42% had no earnings in the previous year.

--35% are in their 20s or 30s.