Figure 2.6

Average prose scores with .95 confidence interval and scores at the 5th, 25th, 75th and 95th percentiles,
by parental education level, Canada, population aged 16 to 25 years, 1994 and 2003

Bar graph representation of Table 2.6

Legend for mean and .95 confidence interval for mean

Source: International Adult Literacy Survey, 1994; International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey, 2003.

Literacy proficiency of seniors

Though much of the research on adult competencies has focussed on the working
age population, such competencies influence quality of life throughout the adult life cycle. Seniors are better able to make informed decisions regarding their health care, housing, and financial affairs if their level of literacy proficiency enables them to seek, understand and apply information.

The distribution of prose literacy levels for seniors

Seniors, defined as those older than 65 years of age, account for between 12 and 17 percent of the population in all provinces. At between four and seven percent, the proportion of seniors is much smaller in all three territories (see Annex A Table 2.12).

The majority of seniors have relatively low literacy skills, which may constrain their participation in society. In every province and territory, at least two-thirds of seniors are at literacy Levels 1 and 2 (Figure 2.7). The proportion of seniors with scores below Level 3 is the lowest in the Western jurisdictions (the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan).