Today I want to highlight the relevancy of literacy to poverty. Obviously, illiteracy leads to poverty, because illiterate people cannot get good jobs. In fact, 43% of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty.
Unfortunately, illiteracy still plagues society. For example, more than 20% of adults in the United States read at or below a fifth grade level, meaning that they read far below the level needed to earn a living wage. The National Adult Literacy Survey found that over 40 million Americans age 16 and older have significant literacy needs.
Almost nobody would choose to remain illiterate and poor. We need to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to get an education, and thus get a job that pays them enough to survive comfortably. We can do this fairly through student loans.
Individually, we can each help promote literacy in our own community. For example, we can volunteer at libraries, or host youth book clubs.