Adult Literacy Surveys in Australia

Abstract

In 1996 and 2006, Australia conducted the International Adult Literacy Survey and the Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey to measure literacy (and numeracy) competencies. Good literacy skills are increasingly essential for individuals to participate in contemporary society and the modern economy. These surveys also collected background information, enabling an examination of the factors that influence literacy and of how literacy may affect individual opportunities and outcomes. The time series of adult literacy surveys will be enhanced when the 2011-12 Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies is published in 2013. © 2013 The University of Melbourne.