Highlights
This report presents the results of the 2003 International
Adult
Literacy and Skills
Survey (IALSS) that measured the proficiencies in literacy,
numeracy and problem
solving of the Canadian population. It shows the skills distributions
of the population
of each of the ten provinces and three territories and of specific
subpopulations, such
as immigrants, Aboriginal peoples and minority language groups.
The report also
analyses the relationships between socio-demographic characteristics,
such as age,
education, type of work and income, and performance in literacy,
numeracy and
problem solving.
- The average proficiency scores of the adult population
aged 16 and over
in the Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia
are above the
Canadian averages across all four domains measured in
the IALSS 2003
while those of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador
and Nunavut are below.
- Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories, Manitoba,
Ontario and Prince
Edward Island have average scores that are not statistically
different than
the Canadian averages. In Quebec, the average scores
for the two literacy
domains are below the national averages while for the
numeracy and
problem solving domains there is no difference.
- Nationally, 48 percent of the adult population – 12 million
Canadians
aged 16 and over– perform below Level 3 on the prose
and document
literacy scales (about 9 million or 42 percent of Canadians
aged 16 to 65).
Level 3 proficiency is considered to be the “desired level” of
competence
for coping with the increasing skill demands of the emerging
knowledge
and information economy.
- At 55%, the proportion of the Canadian population
aged 16 and over
with numeracy scores below Level 3 was even more pronounced.
- Overall, there has been little change in literacy
performance between
1994 and 2003.
- The established patterns of literacy proficiency
continue to prevail, with
higher performance among the young and the educated.
- In New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba,
Francophones have
lower average prose literacy scores than Anglophones.