Media.Knet.Ca

A December 2005 paper entitled Literacy and Digital Technologies: Linkages and Outcomes published by Industry Canada and Stats Canada highlights the links between literacy and computer usage. For example ... "adults who have average or higher literacy skills and who are intensive computer users have about three to six times the odds of being in the top quartile of personal income, compared to respondents with below average literacy skills and less intensive computer use."

The authors describe the paper as an investigation of "relationships between adult literacy skills and use of information and communications technologies (ICTs)."

Click here to read the entire 34-page paper found on the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute web site (http://research.knet.ca)

Under Findings ... "Results also confirmed an association between literacy skills and ICT use. While controlling for other factors, adults’ perceived usefulness and attitude toward computers, use of the Internet, and use of computers for task-oriented purposes increased as literacy skill levels increased. This was true for all four literacy domains examined. In most countries, for example, respondents with medium to high prose literacy skills had between two to three times the odds of being a high-intensity computer user compared to those with below average literacy skills.

Those without access to ICTs also tended to have lower literacy levels than the rest of the population. In addition, only a minority of non-users of computers expressed an interest in starting to use a computer. This has implications for all nations if those individuals who perhaps stand to benefit most from ICTs (by obtaining health, employment and government information, for example) are not in a position to access and use them."