The U.S. must hone in on literacy to protect democracy, civic rights
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Literacy is critical to civic duty and democratic participation. The United States is facing a pressing literacy crisis and needs to prioritize reading and writing proficiency if it wants to remain a democracy.
The U.S. has been on a literary decline for nearly 20 years. Currently, 28% of American adults read at Level 1, the lowest literacy level, up from 19% in 2017. About one in three eighth graders scored below the National Assessment of Educational Progress’s Basic levels, the largest share in the assessment’s history.
It’s concerning that a significant number of adults aren’t proficient in literacy, and even more so that kids are underperforming compared to previous benchmarks. This suggests that the literacy crisis in the U.S. isn’t just a result of improper education during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has been on a steady, multi-year decline.
Literacy isn’t only about knowing how to read. It actively supplies citizens with the proper tools to communicate. Being literate doesn’t just mean you can read a text — it means you can digest it, form your own interpretation and sustain those ideas. And, by extension, interact with new perspectives and possess the tools to better understand the world.
When people aren’t literate, consequences follow. Low literacy rates and authoritarian regimes often go hand in hand. For example, in Afghanistan, ruled by the authoritarian Taliban regime, literacy rates hover around 37%. Similarly, South Sudan’s literacy rates are around 34%. The nation is crippled by instability and ruled by an authoritarian government.
When its population doesn’t know how to digest information, nations are robbed of the resources and knowledge necessary to push back against authoritarian regimes, or to even recognize they’re living in one. When they can’t read human rights or laws, citizens can’t defend them, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation.
When they can’t read human rights or laws, citizens can’t defend them, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation.Violet Binczewski, Columnist
Media consolidation in the digital age makes literacy more valuable than ever. With the rise of artificial intelligence, it can be hard to tell what photos and videos are real. Content that’s posted in a tweet or Instagram caption is often charged with emotion and off the cuff. Digital platforms aren’t a reliable source of news or information.
Information we consume online is easily polarized. We often associate words with who speaks them. This is especially prominent in U.S. politics, where the face of a politician can immediately create an emotional response before they’ve even opened their mouths. Separating the speaker from their information is hard to avoid on digital platforms.
But the written word avoids that dilemma. A writer can be separate from their words, allowing the reader to interpret rather than being swayed.
When people are literate, ideas are exchanged and published. Ideas are what drive progress and reveal corruption. An illiterate America would mean less accountability for our government, which is necessary to sustain a democracy.
Americans shouldn’t just be able to consume words concerning their nation — they must actively seek them out.
With a literary crisis only growing more dire, the U.S. must prioritize literacy. The ability to intake and understand information is a critical skill, yet it’s growing rarer. Literacy isn’t only essential for an educated nation, but also a pillar of a functioning democracy.
Violet Binczewski is a freshman majoring in journalism. She can be reached at vkbincze@syr.edu.
