Indicator 4.4.1 - Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
Percentage of US persons ages 16 to 65 performing at level 2 or higher of the PIAAC Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments
Percentage of US persons ages 16 to 65 performing at level 2 or higher of the PIAAC Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments
Global Metadata
This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the United Nations Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata documentation on all indicators in Goal 4, unless otherwise noted, is provided by the UN Statistics Division.
| SDG Indicator Name | Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill |
|---|---|
| SDG Target Addressed | By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. |
| Definition of SDG Indicator | The percentage of youth (aged 15-24 years) and adults (aged 15 years and above) that have undertaken certain computer-related activities in a given time period (e.g. last three months). Computer-related activities to measure ICT skills are as follows: Copying or moving a file or folder Using copy and paste tools to duplicate or move information within a document; Sending e-mails with attached files (e.g. document, picture, video); Using basic arithmetic formulae in a spreadsheet; Connecting and installing new devices (e.g. a modem, camera, printer); Finding, downloading, installing and configuring software Creating electronic presentations with presentation software (including text, images, sound, video or charts); Transferring files between a computer and other devices; Writing a computer program using a specialized programming language A computer refers to a desktop computer, a laptop (portable) computer or a tablet (or similar handheld computer). It does not include equipment with some embedded computing abilities, such as smart TV sets, and devices with telephony as their primary function, such as smartphones. Most individuals will have carried out more than one activity and therefore multiple responses are expected. The tasks are broadly ordered from less to more complex. |
| UN Designated Tier | 2 |
| UN Custodial Agency | UNESCO-UIS, ITU (Partnering Agencies: OECD) |
U.S. Metadata
This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from U.S. statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from U.S. statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other US-specific metadata information
| Method of computation for global SDG indicator | Percentage of 16- to 65-year-olds performing at PIAAC Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments performance level 2 or higher, by sex, age group, and high/low income quartile |
|---|---|
| Graph Title | Percentage of US persons ages 16 to 65 performing at level 2 or higher of the PIAAC Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments |
| Actual indicator available | Percentage of 16- to 65-year-olds performing at PIAAC Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments performance level 2 or higher, by sex, age group, and high/low income quartile |
| Description of actual indicator available | Problem solving in technology-rich environments (PS-TRE) is an innovative addition to adult literacy and large-scale assessments. In the PIAAC PS-TRE framework, PS-TRE is defined as: "using digital technology, communication tools, and networks to acquire and evaluate information, communicate with others, and perform practical tasks." PS-TRE measures skills and abilities that are required for solving problems while operating in a technology-rich environment. Specifically, it assesses the cognitive processes of problem solving—goal setting, planning, selecting, evaluating, organizing, and communicating results. The environment in which PS-TRE assesses these processes is meant to reflect the reality that digital technology has revolutionized access to information and communication capabilities over the past decades. In particular, the Internet has immensely increased instantaneous access to large amounts of information in multiple formats and has expanded capabilities of instant voice, text, visual, and graphic communications across the globe. In order to effectively operate in this environment, it is necessary to have mastery of foundational computer (ICT) skills, including (a) skills associated with manipulating input and output devices (e.g., the mouse, keyboard, and digital displays), (b) awareness of concepts and knowledge of how the environment is structured (e.g., files, folders, scrollbars, hyperlinks, and different types of menus or buttons), and (c) the ability to interact effectively with digital information (e.g., how to use commands such as save, delete, open, close, move, highlight, submit, and send). Such interaction involves familiarity with electronic texts, images, graphics and numerical data, as well as the ability to locate, evaluate, and critically judge the validity, accuracy, and appropriateness of accessed information. These skills constitute the core aspects of the PIAAC PS-TRE assessment. Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments items present tasks of varying difficulty to be performed in simulated software applications using commands and functions commonly found in the technology environments of email, web pages, and spreadsheets. These tasks range from purchasing particular goods or services online and finding interactive health information to managing personal information and business finances. Variable name Variable label I4_4_1_tech_total PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, total I4_4_1_tech_male PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, male I4_4_1_tech_female PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, female I4_4_1_tech_24 PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, 24 or less I4_4_1_tech_34 PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, 25 to 34 I4_4_1_tech_44 PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, 35 to 44 I4_4_1_tech54 PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, 45 to 54 I4_4_1_tech_65 PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, 55 to 65 I4_4_1_tech_lowinc PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, lowest income quartile I4_4_1_tech_highinc PIAAC, problem solving in a technology rich environment, level 2 or higher, highest income quartile |
| Method of computation | Weighted percentage of respondents in the survey achieving a score level of 2 or higher |
| Comments and limitations | The first round of data collection in the United States (officially known as the U.S. PIAAC Main Study) was conducted from August 2011 through April 2012 with a nationally representative household sample of 5,000 adults between the ages of 16 and 65. |
| Periodicity | One time survey |
| Time Period | About every 10 years |
| Unit of measure | Percentage |
| Disaggregation #1 (Industry or social categories) | Sex, age group, and income quartile |
| Disaggregation #2 (Geographical coverage) | National |
| Date of public data release from National source | 10/2013 |
| Date of last Update of This Page | 10/2016 |
| Scheduled Update by National source | NA |
| Scheduled Update by SDG Team | |
| Data Source1 (Agency STAFF NAME) | tom.snyder |
| Data Source2 (Staff E-MAIL) | tom.snyder@ed.gov |
| Data Source3 (Agency/Survey/Dataset name) | Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), 2012 |
| Indicator web address (closest to data provided) | http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/ideuspiaac/ |
| International and National References | http://piaacgateway.com/ |