While it is relatively straightforward to measure success in economic outcomes, it is less obvious how to quantify the effect of literacy on social outcomes, such as individual and societal health and welfare. The IALSS is used in the first part of this chapter to shed light on these relationships, drawing on a series of questions related to individual health and well–being. The chapter employs an additional set of IALSS questions to explore the effects of literacy proficiency on key social indicators generally related to the concept of civic engagement: volunteering and civic participation.
The final part of this chapter looks at the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and the factors related to their use. ICTs have become more pervasive in Canada and thus, access to and the ability to use them has important implications for daily living whether at work or at home.
The link between health outcomes and years of schooling has long been recognised (Furu, 1985; Schwartzberg, Van Geest and Wang, 2005). More recently, the availability of national literacy data has allowed this link to be explored more fully. The findings suggest that literacy is a significant factor in explaining disparities in health care received by adults in advanced economies (Kirsch and von Davier, 2005).
Health limitations such as visual problems not corrected by aids such as eyeglasses have an obvious connection to the ability to read and understand printed material. The scope and severity of the condition have a direct impact on proficiency. Whereas a slight visual problem present but uncorrected since grade school can slow the acquisition of certain key competencies needed for effective literacy, complete blindness may arrest this development altogether and, while one may be proficient in alternate communication mediums (e.g. Braille or books on tape), the amount of information readily accessible is limited.
The IALSS data support research into more general aspects of the link between respondents’ perceived health and their literacy scores. The IALSS measures health using a widely recognized set of questions on physical and mental health. The responses to these questions are used to estimate four groups of physical and mental health: “poor”, “fair”, “good” and “excellent” (See Text Box A5).