Literacy and Life Skills for Māori Adults: Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Survey

1. Age

This section discusses the distribution of skills by age amongst Māori.

Figure 1.1 shows the age distribution of Māori measured by the ALL survey. Figures 1.2 to 1.5 show the distributions of each of prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem solving skill for different age groups among the Māori population of New Zealand. In addition, Figures 1.2 and 1.3 show the comparable statistics available from the IALS survey. Tables 1.1-1.5 in the Appendix show the data that the graphs in the figures are based on. The tables include proportions for the total 16-65-year-old Māori population.

Overall, Figures 1.1 to 1.5 indicate that:

• The adult Māori population is ageing – proportions at the younger ages are declining and proportions at older age ranges are increasing.
• For all four skill domains (prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy, and problem solving skill), Māori adults aged 25-44 in 2006 had substantially higher skills than both younger and older Māori adults. This is a similar pattern as for the general New Zealand population.
• For all four skill domains for all reported age groups, more than half (from 55 percent to 90 percent) of Māori adults in 2006 had level 1 or 2 skills.
• For prose and document literacy and numeracy, 16-24-year-olds had lower skills than 25-34-year-olds.
• Prose literacy skill for Māori 16-to-24-year-olds appeared to decrease from 1996 to 2006. However, many of the statistics concerned were of marginal quality so this decrease may not be as marked as it appears.
• For the total 16-65-year-old Māori population, prose literacy skill was relatively stable from 1996 to 2006, but document literacy skill increased.
• Particularly large proportions of 16-24 year olds and 35-65 year olds had level 1 or 2 numeracy skills. Across all age groups, a very large proportion of Māori adults had level 1 or 2 problem solving skills.

Figure 1.1: Age distribution, IALS and ALL

Note:

1. To allow statistically robust estimates, 45-54-year-olds and 55-65-year-olds were grouped together.

Figure 1.2: Prose literacy level by age, IALS and ALL

1. To allow statistically robust estimates, 45-54-year-olds and 55-65-year-olds were grouped together.
2. To allow statistically robust estimates, levels 3, 4 and 5 were grouped together.
   

Figure 1.3: Document literacy level by age, IALS and ALL

Notes:

1. To allow statistically robust estimates, 45-54-year-olds and 55-65-year-olds were grouped together.
2. To allow statistically robust estimates, levels 3, 4 and 5 were grouped together.

Figure 1.4: Numeracy level by age, ALL only

1. To allow statistically robust estimates, 45-54-year-olds and 55-65-year-olds were grouped together.
2. To allow statistically robust estimates, levels 3, 4 and 5 were grouped together.

Figure 1.5: Problem-solving level by age, ALL only

Notes:

1. To allow statistically robust estimates, 45-54-year-olds and 55-65-year-olds were grouped together.
2. To allow statistically robust estimates, levels 3 and 4 were grouped together.