Is it true that 30 million people in the USA are functionally literate?
Yes, but those figures are actually normal across Europe and the UK, the USA and Canada, and Australia.Using the US statistics, 14% (32 million) of the population simply could not answer simple test questions such as “find an expiration date on a drivers licence, or given an article about a TV show, correctly “write the date of the program”.The next 20–30% (68 million) of the population can “Fill in the social security number on a social security card application”, but not “answer a question using a chart”, or “list two or more facts in a brief article”.The good news is there are 124 million people (43%) with “intermediate literacy” who can “place a point on a chart that would end the upward trend” or “Using the given information in a table, describe two differences between two categories of banks that issue credit card”, but are also unable to “Using a diagram and an advertisement, write a brief description of how you would figure out the number of full cartons of tiles you would need to buy”, or “Explain to the interviewer how you would compute the total amount of interest paid on a loan.”In terms of people who are proficient, the top 15% (34 million) can summarize two brief articles, or use the information in a carpet advertisement to calculate the cost of carpeting a room.
What percentage of US citizens are illiterate?
I do not know. I would assume some govt department keeps statistics on that.The problem, right off the bat, is defining illiteracy.I cannot do a Powerpoint or a Prezi. I do not know how to make a video and upload it to Youtube. My googling skills are poor. I am 61, and have no need for this. Am I illiterate?I used to be pretty good with Word and Excel, but have done nothing in years. Am I illiterate?I can read and write cursive, to, and many of today’s kids cannot. Are they illiterate?At one time, I knew a bit of Spanish. Never used in 30 years, so no more.My French sucks. But in Canada…..I used to be pretty good at basic algebra. Not used in 20 years…..HOW you define literacy, matters.So I am of the opinion there is no real answer. Because the definition, will affect things. As well, how strict is your definition?By these standards, Charlemagne, who basically spread literacy throughout his empire, would be illiterate. But he spoke Latin……The founding fathers of the USA, knew how to calculate many things like feet cords, and quantity of seed per acre, and how much wood to heat a home for the winter, and lead shot capacities. So… Are YOU illiterate. And oh, yes, they all knew Latin.My late brother knew nothing of computers…... But ran a bar, a hotel, a catering company, a restaurant, and knew all about that stuff. THERE, he was literate.What’s important and what is not, in your literacy????
Can someone tell me the literacy rate for the United States of America ?
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy Recently the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association have added "visually representing" to the list of communicative competences that are considered to constitute literacy. And http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy#Th... In the United States, one in seven people (more than 40 million people) can barely read a job offer or utility bill, which arguably makes them functionally illiterate in a developed country such as the US. In 2003, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), conducted by the US Department of Education, found that fourteen percent of American adults scored at this “below basic” level in prose literacy. So you can see that there is STILL a problem defining what "literate" is.. Personally, I think that you have to be able to read AND comprehend to be literate so it does drop the % because most people can't understand monthly bills nor correctly fill out a job application How many high school grads do you know who could truely understand the basics of real life decisions choosing the best medical insurance- homeowners ins- mortgage rates and fees-(not just the cost) or understand the conditions and terms on most documents that have to be signed ??? Now think about other US areas the poor etc and would you believe that our rate is 99% literate? Not! (I guess the PR stats people for the USA mean who can read the alphabet)
Why is the number and percentage of dirt poor americans increasing so drastically?
We're still waiting for that trickle down economics to work. Tax cuts for the rich. Tax cuts for the rich. They make the jobs, it will be good for America. Hahaha...
Can a person who didn't attend college be smarter than a Rhode Scholar?
Sure, it is definitely possible for someone who didn't attend college to be smarter than a Rhodes scholar. However since Rhodes scholars typically are in the top 1% of college students... in general it is pretty unlikely for this actually happen. So it difficult to generalize this fact into any meaningful conclusions about whether a college education is valuable or not. For instance, I know for a fact that someone who is functionally illiterate can earn more money than all the Rhodes Scholars in a single year combined. However, I don't suggest you should prevent your children from learning to read. It's all about setting up advantageous situations for yourself and your children.
Why are politically conservative people happier than politically progressive people?
Because ignorance is bliss.Ba-dum DUM!Next show’s at eleven.~~~~~~~~~~~~~But seriously folks. I speak from my personal experience of several decades among people all along the political spectrum. (And I find that trying to make derogatory blanket statements about any group you don’t agree with is a fool’s game. If you’re so insecure about your political beliefs that all you can do is stereotype and insult the other side, maybe you should rethink those beliefs.)I know a lot of conservatives who are happy. But I also know a lot who are unhappy and angry all the time. They want everyone to stay in their assigned seats (the seats assigned by conservatives), they want there to be only two genders, they want gay people to keep quiet and out of sight, they want people of color to stop talking about racial injustice. In other words, they want the world to stop changing, and they’re more or less worked up all the time because that’s never going to happen. Life is about change, and nature selects for those who can adapt. So it really doesn’t matter what any of us think about it, or whether we like it. It just is.Most progressives I know are happy. I think it’s because they embrace change and change is what’s happening. They don’t consider just themselves, but everyone, and a greater human connection is conducive to happiness. They have a vision of a better world for all, and that’s fulfilling for them. I know some progressives who are unhappy because change isn’t happening fast enough for them, or exactly the way they want, and like the unhappy conservatives, they are beating their heads against the wall. They want change but are unwilling to do the groundwork to make it actually happen.And the reading I do on what makes people happy, and the difference between conservative and liberal brains, confirms my views.Thanks for listening. Comments from the Twilight Zone will be returned to their point of origin.