Examining Literacy Skill Performance of Black Adults in the U.S.: A Case of Civic Engagement and Political Efficacy

Abstract

The Issue: Black adults’ beliefs about civic and political engagement are possible avenues toward social equality. The Black population is far from a monolith (Saal et al., 2023). Little is known about how Black adults’ literacy skill level impacts their civic engagement and political efficacy. Within the Black adult population, a better understanding of gender differences is critical to inform civic and democratic educational initiatives. The Research Question: 1. Are the levels of information processing skills (i.e., adult literacy proficiency) associated with civic engagement and political efficacy among Black adults in the U.S.? 2. Are there any gender differences in the associations between civic engagement, political efficacy, and information processing skills (i.e., adult literacy proficiency) among Black adults in the U.S.? The Findings: Black adults have comparable civic engagement and political efficacy to the general adult population. Black adults with college degrees (s) tend to volunteer more often than those without. Black adults with higher levels of literacy proficiency, college education, and older age tend to have higher political efficacy than those without. Black women and Black men had similar literacy proficiency. Black women with higher educational attainment had greater civic engagement. Black men who live with their spouses had greater civic engagement. Black women with high literacy proficiency had greater political efficacy than their counterparts with low literacy proficiency. Black men with higher educational attainment had greater political efficacy. The Implications: Promoting the political efficacy of Black adults with low literacy skills should be on a policy agenda. Civic and political education should be provided throughout adult life stages, and be considerate of sociocultural (e.g., race, gender) differences.