Literacy proficiency and political information seeking in the U.S.

Abstract

This quantitative exploratory study is the first to investigate the literacy skills and political efficacy-related information seeking behavior with a secondary analysis of a nationally representative sample of older youth and adults in the United States (U.S), ages 16–74 across two PIAAC data collection cycles (2012/2014 and 2017). Over time, newspapers, magazines, TV, and books use declined, while internet use as a source for political efficacy-related information increased. Associations of literacy skill proficiency with the internet and TV were reliable between two time-points and cycles of data; however, the direction of these associations varied. Older youth and adults with greater literacy skills were more likely to seek political efficacy-related information from the internet, while those with less literacy proficiency preferred T.V.