The authors of this paper note that, as the population ages, the relationship between aging and skills is becoming an important policy issue. Their goal is to provide an overview of what is known about age-skill profiles and to carry out an analysis that shows how data based on repeated measures can be used to estimate skill gain and skill loss over the lifespan and over time.
Six out of 10 Canadians, or 60 per cent of the population, lack the skills needed to adequately manage their health-care needs. By comparison, 48 per cent of Canadians have low levels of literacy in general.
Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey
This report uses the results of the 2003 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey to describe adult learning in Canada. The goal of the report is to present a comprehensive portrait of adult learning including participation in organized forms of adult learning, both formal and non-formal, as well as informal learning.
The Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) is a large-scale cooperative effort undertaken by governments, national statistics agencies, research institutions and multi-lateral agencies.
