Austria’s adult literacy crisis deepens as socioeconomic gaps widen
Researchers Eduard Stöger and Felix Deichmann from Statistik Austria, using data from the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), found that socioeconomic background now plays a far greater role in shaping literacy levels. The study revealed that an individual’s highest educational attainment remains the strongest predictor of reading ability, with an effect size of 0.37. Parental education has also grown in influence, now nearly matching personal qualifications at 0.32.
The decline in adult literacy reflects broader shifts in Austria’s education system and social inequality. With parental education and school type now playing larger roles, the gap between high and low literacy rates is expected to persist unless targeted interventions are introduced. The country’s drop below the OECD average signals a need for policy adjustments to reverse the trend.
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