Lack of literacy challeges genealogy, archives, libraries, and humanity in general

 

I have spent a large part of my life in libraries great and small and I currently volunteer at the Brigham Young University Library Family History Center. I also spent my life reading books; probably thousands and thousands of books. I pains me to see both books and libraries under attack here in the United States. I am certain that at least part of the reason both are being attacked involves the simple fact that a significant percentage of the U.S. is either totally illiterate or marginally so. 

Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak, and listen, but it extends to understanding and using information in various forms—like numbers (numeracy), media, technology, and health—to function, learn, and thrive in society, essentially the skill to engage with the world through language and symbols, from reading a sign to understanding complex media. It's not just about books, but about comprehension, communication, and critical thinking across different contexts like digital platforms, financial documents, and scientific concepts. See National Literacy Trust. “What Is Literacy? | Importance Of Literacy.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://literacytrust.org.uk/information/what-is-literacy/.

Illiteracy is the inability or insufficient ability to read and write. 

Genealogical research is text intensive. Lack of reading and writing skills closes the door on doing any genealogy. In addition, the places where valuable genealogical sources are located are essentially closed and unavailable to the illiterate. In addition, genealogical research will challenge even those with advanced levels of literacy. Illiteracy is a barrier to learning about a person's ancestral heritage. Access to learning about genealogy is closed to those who cannot read and write. 

How serious is the problem here in the U.S., here are some of the facts:

• On average, 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate in 2024.
• 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2024.
• 54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level).
• Low levels of literacy costs the US up to 2.2 trillion per year.
• 34% of adults lacking literacy proficiency were born outside the US.
• Massachusetts was the state with the highest rate of child literacy.
• New Mexico was the state with the lowest child literacy rate.
• New Hampshire was the state with the highest percentage of adults considered literate.
• The state with the lowest adult literacy rate was California. 

See National Literacy Institute. “2024-2025 Literacy Statistics.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/2024-2025-literacy-statistics.

Here are a few of the sources for the above statistics:

APM Research Lab. “Reading the Numbers: 130 Million American Adults Have Low Literacy Skills.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.apmresearchlab.org/10x-adult-literacy.

Ballard Brief. “Illiteracy Among Adults in the United States.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/illiteracy-among-adults-in-the-us.

“Causes of Low Adult Literacy in the US.” ProLiteracy, n.d. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.proliteracy.org/news/causes-of-low-adult-literacy-in-the-us/.

Contributors, NU Editorial. “49 Adult Literacy Statistics and Facts for 2025.” National University, June 24, 2025. https://www.nu.edu/blog/49-adult-literacy-statistics-and-facts/.

DoSomething.Org. “11 Facts about Literacy in America.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://dosomething.org/article/11-facts-about-literacy-america.

“Literacy Gap Map | Barbara Bush Foundation.” Accessed December 11, 2025. http://map.barbarabush.org.

National Literacy Institute. “2024-2025 Literacy Statistics.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/2024-2025-literacy-statistics.

National Literacy Trust. “What Is Literacy? | Importance Of Literacy.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://literacytrust.org.uk/information/what-is-literacy/.

Perfas, Samantha Laine. “What’s Driving Decline in U.S. Literacy Rates?” Harvard Gazette, September 24, 2025. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/09/whats-driving-decline-in-u-s-literacy-rates/.

“The Literacy Crisis in the U.S. Is Deeply Concerning—and Totally Preventable.” EdTrust, n.d. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://edtrust.org/blog/the-literacy-crisis-in-the-u-s-is-deeply-concerning-and-totally-preventable/.

“US Literacy Statistics.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.magnetaba.com/blog/us-literacy-statistics.

The United States' global ranking in literacy is debated, but recent studies show it ranks 14th out of 31 countries for literacy skills and 24th for numeracy. See “US Literacy Statistics.” Accessed December 11, 2025. https://www.magnetaba.com/blog/us-literacy-statistics.

If you are reading this blog post, you could be part of the solution. Think about it.