Israeli skills in literacy, math and problem-solving ‘below OECD average’ – report
Results of the OECD 2023 Survey of Adult Skills show Israelis who scored highest in everyday math abilities reported better wages, health and life satisfaction
Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
Adult Israelis rank below average in literacy, math and problem-solving skills as compared to other populations in developed countries and economies, according to the OECD Survey of Adults Skills 2023 report, released Tuesday.
Graded on a 230-300 point scale, adult Israelis averaged 244 in literacy, 246 in numeracy (using math in daily life) and 236 in adaptive problem-solving, all below the OECD average, the report found. The top scores in all three categories were held, in order, by Finland, Japan, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.
The survey examined adults aged 16-65 in 31 countries over 2022-2023, with 6,092 participants in Israel. Israel had previously participated in the survey in 2014-2015.
For literacy, 36 percent of Israeli adults scored at Level 1 or below, as compared to the OECD average of 26%, meaning “they can understand short texts and organized lists when information is clearly indicated, find specific information and identify relevant links,” the report said.
Seven percent of Israeli adults, as compared to the OECD average of 12%, were ranked at Level 4 or 5 in literacy, indicating they were “high performers” who “can comprehend and evaluate long, dense texts across several pages, grasp complex or hidden meanings, and use prior knowledge to understand texts and complete tasks.”
For numeracy, 34% of Israeli adults were ranked at Level 1 or below, as compared to the OECD average of 25%, meaning “they can do basic math with whole numbers or money, understand decimals, and find single pieces of information in tables or charts, but may struggle with tasks needing multiple steps.”
Eight percent of Israeli adults, as compared to the OECD average of 14%, were ranked as top performers at Level 4 or 5, indicating they could “calculate and understand rates and ratios, interpret complex graphs and critically evaluate statistical claims.”
A full 40% of Israeli adults scored at Level 1 or below in adaptive problem-solving, as compared to the OECD average of 29%, indicating that they could “solve simple problems with few variables and little irrelevant information, which do not change as they make progress towards the solution. They struggle with multi-step problems, or those needing monitoring of multiple variables.”
Only 3% of Israeli adults ranked at Level 4 or above in adaptive problem-solving, as compared to the OECD average of 5%, meaning they displayed “a deeper understanding of problems, and can adapt to unexpected changes, even if they require a major re-evaluation of the problem.”
The survey found that in Israel, “average results in 2022-2023 went down compared to 2014-2015 in literacy and remained similar in numeracy… The average decline in literacy scores is driven, in particular, by an increase in the share of low-performing adults (scoring at Level 1 or below) between 2014 and 2022-2023.”
Because the share of high-performing adults remained stable during this period, “the gap between the highest- and lowest-performing adults in literacy widened as a result,” the survey noted.
The survey also found correlations between the scores in these fields and reported results in a questionnaire covering employment and life satisfaction.
For example, those scoring Level 1 or less in numeracy proficiency reported gross median hourly earnings of $13 (around 46 NIS), while those who scored Level 4 or above reported median hourly earnings of $32 (NIS 115). Israeli minimum wage for full-time employment is NIS 32 per hour ($9).
Additionally, the survey found that 77% of those ranked Level 4 or higher in numeracy proficiency self-reported being in “very good or excellent health,” as compared to 56% of those ranked Level 1 or below. Those ranked Level 4 or higher in numeracy also reported greater levels of life satisfaction and general trust in others and reported higher levels of volunteerism.
Similar to other countries participating in the survey, Israeli participants who had attained higher levels of education scored significantly higher in all three categories.
As in other OECD countries, Israeli women scored higher in literacy than men, while men scored higher in numeracy. In Israel, “no significant difference was observed in adaptive problem-solving” when comparing female and male scores.
The OECD survey “required adults to complete a set of tasks that reflect how these skills are applied across a wide range of situations in adults’ lives. Many tasks involve data-intensive, complex digital environments, which are increasingly common in the workplace and everyday life in modern societies.”
