The military studies indicated that achieving high levels of literacy requires continued opportunities for life-long learning. Investments in adult literacy provide a unique and cost-effective strategy for improving the economy, the home, the community, and the schools.
U.S. civilian literacy surveys
University of Chicago Study Guy Buswell (1937) of the University of Chicago surveyed 1,000 adults in Chicago with different levels of education. He measured skills in reading materials such as food ads, telephone directories, and movie ads. He also used more traditional tests of comprehension of paragraphs and vocabulary.
Buswell found that reading skills and practices increase as years of education increase. He suggested that an important role of education is to guide readers to read more, and that reading more leads to greater reading skill. In turn, this may lead one to continue more education, thus leading to greater reading skill.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) of 1970-1971 This study tested how students 9, 13, and 17 years old as well adults 26 to 35 years old perform on 21 different tasks. The results showed for the first time how age affects performance on the same items. This survey showed as children grow up, attend school, and become adults, they grow progressively more literate (Sticht and Armstrong, pp. 51-58).
Louis Harris survey of 1970 The Louis Harris polling organization surveyed adults representing a cross section of the U.S. population. The subjects filled out five common application forms, including an application for a driver's license and a Medicaid application.
The poll was the first of many to show that many U.S. citizens have difficulty with filling out forms. The Medicaid form was difficult, with only 54 percent of those with an 8th grade education or less getting 90-100 percent correct. Even many college-educated adults had trouble completing the Medicaid form (Sticht and Armstrong, pp. 59-62).