NAME OF COLLECTION
Aspects of Literacy, Survey of
Contact
Survey of Aspects of Literacy Dissemination Manager
National Centre for Education and Training Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Telephone: Canberra 02 6252 7960
Facsimile: Canberra 02 6252 8013
Email: ncets@abs.gov.au
Web site: <www.abs.gov.au>
Purpose
To measure some elements of Australians' literacy and numeracy skills. The literacy and numeracy skills covered by the survey were the information processing skills necessary to use printed material found at work, at home, and in the community.
Description
The sample survey covered all persons aged 15-74 years who were usual residents of private dwellings, excluding overseas residents in Australia; certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments; and members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants) stationed in Australia. The survey was conducted in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, but excluded persons living in certain remote and sparsely settled parts of Australia.
The initial sample for the survey consisted of around 13,008 dwellings. Dwellings were selected at random using a multistage area sample of private dwellings. One person per dwelling was selected at random to participate in the survey. After allowing for sample loss (e.g. derelict buildings, buildings under construction) the sample yielded 9,302 (87%) completed survey interviews.
Data were collected by face-to-face interview.
Main data detail
The Survey of Aspects of Literacy objectively assessed three types of literacy:
- Prose literacy, that is, the ability to understand and use information from various kinds of prose texts, including texts from newspapers, magazines and brochures.
- Document literacy, that is, the ability to locate and use information contained in materials such as tables, schedules, charts, graphs and maps.
- Quantitative literacy, that is, the ability to perform arithmetic operations using numbers contained in printed texts or documents.
The survey linked these assessments with a wide range of data items, for example:
- education and training;
- language and literacy;
- disability status;
- reading and writing usage;
- occupation of mother's/father's main job;
- level of mother's/father's educational attainment;
- personal income from wages, salary or self-employment; and
- industry of current job (based on Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC)).
For example, data are available for the above items for persons whose current job (i.e. at the survey date) was in the mining industry. Data are available down to the three-digit (i.e. ANZSIC Group) level, although at that level some cross-classifications may be subject to high standard errors.
Geographic coverage
Australia, states and territories.
Frequency of data availability
Irregular.
Reference period
The survey was conducted between May and July 1996.
Historical data
Historical data are not available from this collection.
Products and services
Publications
Other
- A special data service, which allows users to specify their own tables, is available on request.
Example of information available
MEDIAN SCORE(a), AUSTRALIA, 1996
 | Prose scale | Document scale | Quantitative scale |
|
| Mining | 305 | 294 | 303 |
| Total employed, all industries | 291 | 291 | 293 |
(a) A higher score represents a greater level of literacy.
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