Reading, writing or even understanding a simple text are difficult, if not impossible, actions for 17% of Reunion Islanders. INSEE has looked into the issue of difficulties with writing. The study reveals in particular that young people are less concerned than their elders.
In 2022, 91,000 people will have difficulty with writing in French in Reunion, or 17% of those aged 18 to 64. This is more than in France, at 10%, but less than for all of Overseas, at 24%.
Note, 71% of the people concerned also have calculation problems. In the department, 24% of the population has calculation difficulties.
The INSEE study, carried out throughout France, will serve as a basis for establishing future public policies linked to plans to combat writing difficulties or illiteracy.
We consider that a person has difficulties with writing when they have difficulty reading words, writing words or even understanding simple texts. In Reunion, 8% of adults are concerned by the problem of reading words, 15% by that of writing words and 16% by understanding a simple text, indicates INSEE.
In the department, men encounter more difficulties than women. Older people are more concerned by a lack of written skills. The difficulties are particularly severe after the age of 45, affecting nearly 61% of those over 45. Young people account for almost 10%.
This generational difference is common to the entire French territory, indicates INSEE. This is due to the fact that French skills progress over the generations thanks to better schooling and raising the level of qualifications. The gaps between generations are, however, more marked on the island, where the school system was structured later than in France.
However, young people are not spared. Short courses being more common in Reunion, they have more difficulty mastering French than in France. INSEE establishes a strong link between leaving the school system without a diploma and lack of written skills.
The causes are often common; the family environment in early childhood plays a key role in particular. Also people whose parents do not have a diploma will be more often affected by writing difficulties.
The living conditions during this period of life, the cultural heritage to which the child has access, the place of books, and the culture of writing or orality are also determining factors. In Reunion, 74% of residents use Creole to interact with their loved ones on a daily basis. The presence of Creole may be likely to alleviate certain obstacles to social integration for those who encounter difficulties in French, indicates INSEE.
Three-quarters of residents aged 18 to 64 spoke Creole during childhood and only half of them spoke French. However, according to INSEE, the data does not make it possible to certify the effect or absence of effect of the mother tongue on writing difficulties.
The consequences in daily life are real. Lack of written skills hinders access to employment, limits internet use and reduces autonomy, particularly in administrative procedures. Note, in Reunion, 45% of 45-64 year olds with writing difficulties have never used the internet.
Less than one in 3 adults with writing difficulties work, compared to 59% of those who do not. Employed people in this situation participate less often in training.
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