What is functional illiteracy? Tips for learning how to understand your audience and write effectively

The other day, I was watching a special feature on "functional illiteracy" on Abema Prime and was shocked.

The program introduced the existence of people who can read but cannot understand the content, which causes problems in their daily lives and work.

In this article, we will introduce the issue of "functional illiteracy" that writers and bloggers should be aware of, as well as tips on how to understand and communicate with those affected by it.

What is functional illiteracy?

Functional illiteracy refers to a state in which a person can read and write but cannot understand or use information necessary for daily life. Examples of such cases include the following:

• I can't understand the application documents from the government office.
• Even if I read the manual at work, I can't do my job well
• I can't understand the key points of drug instructions or contracts

Even if you can read and write, you cannot understand and apply it practically, and you end up making decisions based on intuition. This is functional illiteracy.

There are many people in Japan who can read but cannot understand

Japan is considered to have one of the highest literacy rates in the world, but according to an OECD survey (PIAAC), approximately 10% adults do not meet the minimum reading proficiency standard.

In particular, some people with borderline intelligence (IQ 70-84) who are intellectually handicapped have difficulty understanding and applying what they read and write, even if they can. This is difficult to tell from appearance or conversation, making it difficult to provide support.

References:

• Survey of Adults Skills 2023: Japan | OECD
• What is borderline intelligence? A woman who was found to have an IQ of 81 after testing has struggled with work and studies for years but has "no support" | NHK

If you misunderstand the reader’s “reading comprehension assumptions,” your writing won’t get across.

What writers and bloggers often do is write under the assumption that "the readers will know this much," or "this expression will be commonly understood."

However, if the reader is functionally illiterate, they may not understand the meaning of the text and may stop reading midway.

Of course, it is not necessary to make all of your text "understandable to everyone." If you are targeting a highly specialized audience, it is best to write in a way that matches that premise.

The important thing is to clarify "who you are writing for" and to write in a way that the reader can understand.

What kind of writing can reach people who are functionally illiterate?

The following is easy to understand for readers with low reading comprehension skills:WritingThis is our ingenuity.

• One sentence, one meaningDon't cram multiple things into one sentence
• Use concrete examples: Make it easier to visualize by saying "For example..."
• Rephrasing difficult words: Add a simple explanation to technical terms
• Complement with visuals: Communicate visually using bullet points, tables, and diagrams

I believe that designing sentences with the understanding that there are differences in reading comprehension ability is the first step towards writing that is easy to understand.

Summary | To communicate, first be aware of what is “understandable”

What we can learn from this functional illiteracy is that failure to convey a message is often not just due to a lack of skill on the part of the writer, but also due to a "gap with the reader's level of understanding."

For readers, "easy writing" does not just mean writing that uses simple vocabulary, but writing that is "easy to understand, easy to convey, and practical."

By being aware of the issue of functional illiteracy, writers and bloggers in particular should reexamine who they are writing to and be able to design their writing in accordance with their persona.

There is no need to write for everyone; writing that "reaches the intended reader" is what makes it easy to understand.