Executive Summary

The ALL survey is an investigation of the distribution of certain skills (such as numeracy and document interpretation) among the adult population. For developed countries, such skills are strongly linked with labour market outcomes.

The ALL survey is conducted across many countries. This allows for comparison with other countries as well as providing information specific to New Zealand.

The ALL survey follows a similar survey – the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) – conducted in 1996. Parts of the ALL survey are directly comparable to this earlier work. This comparison will provide a picture of some of the changes that have occurred over the previous decade.

For further information, please refer to: The Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Survey: An Introduction.