An early insight into the relationship between the use of ICTs and skills can be obtained by comparing the literacy skills of ICT users versus non-users (see Box 1 for definitions). From the discussion of computer usage above, those who did express an interest in using a computer over the next year did not differ substantially in their literacy skills from those who indicated no such interest. However, a gap in literacy skills was found between non-users and users in all countries (Chart 7). Not only do nonusers face a digital divide, but this is built on top of the gap in literacy skills compared to the rest of the population. Consistent with the literature on the digital divide, the new gaps created from ICTs use accentuate already existing gaps. As has been argued in several studies, the group with the lowest skills continues to lose out, even though it is the group that stands to benefit proportionately more from the opportunities afforded by the new technologies. This is particularly the case with the Internet, where benefits include easier access to government services, lower prices and the like.
Chart 7. Prose literacy levels of those who have used computers vs. non-users, by country, 2003
Source: Veenhof, Clermont and Sciadas, 2005.
BOX 1: Literacy skill domains measured in the ALL
The ALL survey measures literacy in four skill assessment domains. Respondents are tested and scored on a 500- point scale, and assigned “Levels” from 1 to 5 for each domain. Levels 4 and 5 are collapsed since it is difficult to produce reliable statistical estimates for the Level 5 population given its small size. The domains are defined as follows:
Prose literacy - “the knowledge and skills needed to understand and use information from texts including editorials, news stories, brochures and instruction manuals”;
Document literacy - “the knowledge and skills required to locate and use information contained in various formats, including job applications, payroll forms, transportation schedules, maps, tables and charts”;
Numeracy - “the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage the mathematical demands of diverse situations”; and
Problem Solving - “Problem solving involves goal-directed thinking and action in situations for which no routine solution procedure is available. The problem solver has a more or less well defined goal, but does not immediately know how to reach it. The incongruence of goals and admissible operators constitutes a problem. The understanding of the problem situation and its step-by-step transformation, based on planning and reasoning, constitute the process of problem solving.”
Prose literacy is the domain used for the statistical analysis throughout this study; in most cases the relationships between ICT use and prose literacy are similar to those of the other literacy domains. For a more detailed description of the measurement of literacy skills used in this paper, see Statistics Canada and OECD (2005), Learning a Living: First Results of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, Ottawa.