Recent government data reveals a concerning trend in Austria, with the number of citizens possessing limited reading abilities increasing by nearly 12% in the past decade.
Statistics Austria reports that nearly a third of Austria’s population struggles with reading comprehension, highlighting a worrying decline in literacy within the EU nation.
The agency’s statement this week pointed out that this decline is especially prevalent among individuals employed in jobs requiring medium to low skill levels.
Data from Statistics Austria’s website indicates that 29.0%, or approximately 2.6 million of Austria’s nine million residents, demonstrate low literacy levels.
The data also shows an 11.9% increase in the number of individuals with reading difficulties between 2012 and 2023.
The average literacy score for Austrians aged 16 to 65 is 254 points, falling below the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) average of 260 points.
While Austrians aged 16 to 24 performed above the OECD average, older demographics exhibit significantly lower reading proficiency than anticipated, according to the agency.
“The disparities in reading skills among adults are substantial, and this divide continues to grow,” stated Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria.
The agency also observed “a particularly significant decrease” in the consumption of complex reading materials like newspapers and magazines, with Austrians primarily engaging with emails and other short-form texts.
Statistics Austria also noted a 6.7% increase in the number of individuals with weak everyday math skills between 2012 and 2023, now representing 22.6% of the population.
Last year, Russia’s state-owned pollster VTSIOM asserted that despite competition from visual media, “reading remains a popular way for Russians to gain knowledge and information.”
According to VTSIOM’s figures, a November 2024 poll revealed that 87% of respondents had read something in the previous week. Fiction was the most popular choice (40%), followed by news and social media posts (37%).