More than a third of UK adults have reading, writing, grammar, comprehension and spelling difficulties, according to research from assistive technology company, Texthelp. Launched during British Dyslexia Awareness Month, the new study by Censuswide, is part of campaign “Words Can’t Hold Us Back” and aims to raise awareness of the extent of literacy challenges in the UK.
Grammar is the topic Brits found most challenging whilst at school, with 1 in 5 (20%) admitting to having found this difficult; 19% said they experienced difficulties with homework, and 18% said they found spelling hard. The survey explored how these literacy challenges are affecting the everyday lives of many, with at least one in five (22%) people finding it difficult to understand important paperwork and contracts critical to daily life, whilst 9% of people did not feel confident helping children with their homework.
Literacy challenges can have an impact on how people feel about carrying out everyday tasks. A quarter (25%) of people surveyed admitted to feeling embarrassed when they experience difficulties reading books aloud to pre-school children, whilst just over 2 in 5 (41%) feel frustrated when having difficulties reading and filling out lengthy forms (e.g., a medical, insurance or travel forms).
