लिटरेसी अमोंग पीपल कैन चेक
Answers
Explanation:
Literacy is popularly understood as an ability to read, write and use numeracy in at ... For example, literate people can be more easily trained than illiterate people.
Explanation:
ANSWER.
The interactive chart below shows global literacy rates among adults, over the period 1800-2014. This is a powerful graph: it tells us that over the last two centuries the share of illiterate adults has gone down from 88% to less than 15%.
This global perspective on education leads to a natural question: What does it actually mean to be ‘literate’ in this statistical sense?
This is not a simple question. Literacy rates are only a proxy for what we actually care about, namely literacy skills. The distinction matters because literacy skills are complex and span over a range of proficiency shades, while literacy rates assume a sharp, binary distinction between those who are and aren’t ‘literate’.
What is the definition of literacy that underlies the estimates in the chart below? And how do these estimates compare to other measures of educational achievement and literacy skills?
In this post we answer these questions. We begin with an overview of recent estimates published by UNESCO, and then move on to discuss long-run estimates that rely on historical data.
Literate and illiterate world population v3 850x600
Click to open interactive version
Measurement today
Common methods and data sources
Let’s start by taking a look at recent estimates of literacy. Specifically, the estimates of literacy rates compiled by UNESCO from different sources.
In the chart below we present a breakdown of these estimates, showing the main methodologies that countries use to measure literacy, and how these have changed over time. (To explore changes across time use the slider underneath the map.)
The breakdown covers four categories: self-reported literacy declared directly by individuals, self-reported literacy declared by the head of the household, tested literacy from proficiency examinations, and indirect estimation or extrapolation.
In most cases, the categories covering ‘self-reports’ (green and orange) correspond to estimates of literacy that rely on answers provided to a simple yes/no question asking people if they can read and write.
The category ‘indirect estimation’ (black) corresponds mainly to estimates that rely on indirect evidence from educational attainment, usually based on the highest degree of completed education.
In this table you find details regarding all literacy definitions and sources, country by country, and how we categorised them for the purpose of this chart.
This chart is telling us that:
There is substantial cross-country variation, with recent estimates covering all four measurement methods.
There is variation within countries across time (e.g. Mexico switches between self-reports and extrapolation).
The number of countries that base their estimates on self-reports and testing is increasing.
Another way to dissect the same data, is to classify literacy estimates according to the type of measurement instrument used to collect the relevant data. Which countries use household sampling instruments such as UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys? Which countries use census data? And which countries do not collect literacy data directly, but rely instead on other sources?
In the next chart we explore this, splitting estimates into three categories: sampling, including data from literacy tests and household surveys; census data; and other instruments (e.g. administrative data on school enrollment).
Here we can see that most countries use sampling instruments (coded as ‘surveys’ in the map), although in the past census data was more common. Literacy surveys have the potential of being more accurate – when the sampling is done correctly – because they allow for more specific and detailed measurement than short and generic questions in population censuses. Below we discuss this further.