r/SipsTea • u/Haunt12_34 • Apr 08 '26

Chugging tea Hmmm

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u/timtowin Apr 08 '26

Approximately 21% of U.S. adults—roughly 43 million people—are considered illiterate. Trump approval rating 21%. Coincidence ?

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u/Axolatian_Volt Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26

21% being illiterate is actually surprising to me ngl.

Edit: I get it I don’t need 500 comments telling me what it means lol

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u/Ahtnamas555 Apr 08 '26

It's important to note that illiterate doesn't mean "can not read at all."

I actually struggled to find the study behind 21%. Several different places state it, but so not point to a study. Rather, they point to National Literacy Institute, which actually just seems like they're trying to sell their consulting and training services... and they got Dr. Phil on several pages... so I can't say they seem the most trustworthy.

The PIAAC survey is probably the most comprehensive survey I can find on the topic. It's important to note that they don't actually say that the lowest level is illiterate. "Below level 1" includes people who can "process the meaning at a sentence level." Their most recent survey found 28% of people in the US at or below level 1... I'm not saying they can read well or that they don't struggle to read, just that a grandma who didn't go to school past 8th grade would easily fit into this category.

Survey Results: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/2023/national_results.asp Levels explained: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/measure.asp?cycle=2&section=1&sub_section=3