Cross-strategy indicators – Tertiary Education Strategy monitoring 2009

4. Knowledge and skills in the adult population

Literacy, language and numeracy skills

Between 1996 and 2006, the prose and document literacy skills of 25 to 34 year olds increased. In 2006, around 60 percent of 25 to 34 year olds had prose or document literacy skills at level 3 or above,² compared with 50 percent in 1996. This is the level considered as sufficient to participate fully in a knowledge society.

The proportion with high levels of numeracy in 2006 was only 53 percent.³

New Zealand’s results are similar to those of Australia and Canada.

Figure 4.1: Distribution of 25 to 34 year olds by literacy and numeracy in 1996 and 2006

Sources: International Adult Literacy Survey 1996 and Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey 2006.

Literacy skills generally vary by ethnic group and place of birth. Europeans and New Zealand-born Asians had the highest levels of document literacy in 2006. Māori and New Zealand-born Pasifika had similar levels, but lower than Europeans and New Zealand-born Asians.

Overseas-born Asians and Pasifika had the lowest levels of English-based document literacy. A high proportion of these groups had English as an additional language (93 and 79 percent respectively).

Figure 4.2: Distribution of document literacy for 25 to 34 year olds by ethnic group and place of birth

Source: Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, 2006.

From 2001 to 2006 there were significant gains in te reo Māori proficiency for Māori aged 25 to 34, as measured by the Surveys of the Health of the Māori Language.

The gains have been larger in listening, reading and writing than in speaking. These gains result from a decrease in the proportion of the population with little or no knowledge of Māori and from an increase in the proportion who have good proficiency.

Figure 4.3: Proportion of Māori 25 to 34 year olds with medium to high proficiency in te reo Māori

Sources: Statistics New Zealand and Te Puni Kokiri, Surveys of Health of the Maori Language, 2001 and 2006.

Education attainment of the population

The following indicators look at the highest educational qualifications attained across the population. These indicators provides a measure of overall human capital. The data includes qualifications attained overseas as well as in New Zealand.

The proportion of 25 to 39 year olds with a tertiary education qualification has been steadily increasing.

From 1998 to 2008, the proportion with a bachelors degree or higher almost doubled from 15 percent to 28 percent.

Figure 4.4: Highest educational qualification of the population aged 25 to 39

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey, June quarters.

The proportion of New Zealand 25 to 34 year olds with qualifications at diploma level and above is higher than for the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and the OECD average.

The proportion of this age group in New Zealand with a bachelors degree or higher is similar to Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, and higher than the OECD average.

Figure 4.5: International comparison of the proportion of the 25 to 34 year old population with diploma and above tertiary qualifications 2006

Source: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Education at a glance 2008.

In both the Māori and Pasifika populations, 25 to 39 year olds are more likely to hold a certificate or diploma than a bachelors degree or above as their highest tertiary qualification.

For this age group in the European population there are fairly equal proportions with below-degree-level qualifications and bachelors degree and above.

In the Asian population, 25 to 39 year olds are much more likely to hold a bachelors degree or higher than a lower- level qualification.

Figure 4.6: Proportion of population aged 25 to 39 with tertiary qualifications by gender and ethnic group 2006

Source: Statistics New Zealand, New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings 2006.

Since 1998, in both the Māori and Pasifika populations, there has been a doubling, from 5 to over 10 percent, of the proportion of the population aged 25 to 39 with bachelors degrees or higher.

The proportion for 25 to 39 year olds in the Asian population has remained fairly constant at around 40 percent and the proportion in this age group in the European population has doubled from 15 to almost 30 percent.

Figure 4.7: Proportion of the population aged 25 to 39 with bachelors degree or above by ethnic group

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey.

Until 2005, the proportions of men and women aged 25 to 39 with a bachelors degree or higher increased in a similar way.

In 2006 and 2007, the proportion of women with a bachelors degree or higher continued to increase, while the proportion of men has levelled off.

Figure 4.8: Proportion of the population aged 25 to 39 with bachelors degree or above by gender

Source: Statistics New Zealand, Household Labour Force Survey.

Footnotes

2. See notes on data sources ( page 9 ) for definitions of domains and levels.
   
3. Numeracy was not measured in a comparable way in the International Adult Literacy Survey 1996.