The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who reported using spreadsheet or word processing software every day (24 percent) was higher than the OECD average (18 percent). The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who reported using email every day (57 percent) was not measurably different from the OECD average.
This indicator uses data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to analyze computer and internet use of 16- to 19-year-olds. Specifically, this indicator uses PIAAC data to compare the percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who report using a computer or the Internet for various activities every day with the percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in other countries. Performance of U.S. 16- to 19-year-olds on the PIAAC assessment is discussed in Indicator 22.
PIAAC is an international data collection conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an organization of 35 countries whose purpose is to promote trade and economic growth. The OECD also collects and publishes an array of data on its member countries. The main PIAAC data collection was completed in 2012. A second data collection was completed in 2015; this round was conducted only in countries that did not participate in the first round.1 In total, 28 OECD countries and subnational regions participated in PIAAC and are included in this analysis.
Skills in using computers and the Internet to perform basic activities and solve problems is increasingly important for individuals' economic and social well-being (OECD 2016a). Using PIAAC data from 2012, 2014, and 2015, this indicator discusses the frequency of 16- to 19-year-olds' computer and internet use across countries using four measures: use of spreadsheet or word processing software; use of email; participation in real-time discussion on the Internet; and use of the Internet to understand issues such as health/illness, financial matters, or environmental issues.
Figure 9.1. Percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who used spreadsheet or word processing software every day, by selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries or subnational regions: 2012, 2014, and 2015
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
1 Most entities participating in the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey are countries, but a few of them are subnational regions. Following the name of each subnational region, its country is indicated in parentheses. For example, England and Northern Ireland are both part of the United Kingdom (UK).
2 A supplemental round of data collection was completed in 2014 in order to expand the sample of U.S. adults, allowing for more in-depth data analysis. Results from the United States are based on combined data from 2012 and 2014.
3 Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and subnational regions, to which each country or subnational region reporting data contributes equally.
4 Data are from 2015.
NOTE: The main data collection for the PIAAC survey was completed in 2012. Unless otherwise noted, all countries' and subnational regions' results are based on the 2012 round of data collection. A second round of international data collection was completed in 2015; this round was conducted only in six countries/regions that did not participate in the first round. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2012/2014; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, PIAAC 2012 and 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 604.40.
The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who reported using spreadsheet or word processing software every day (24 percent) was 6 percentage points higher than the OECD average. The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported using spreadsheet or word processing software every day ranged from 2 percent in Japan and Finland to 47 percent in Denmark. In 4 countries or subnational regions (Denmark, Northern Ireland, Norway, and the Netherlands), the percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported using spreadsheet or word processing software every day was higher than the U.S. percentage. In contrast, 16 countries or subnational regions reported percentages of 16- to 19-year-olds using spreadsheet or word processing software every day that were lower than the U.S. percentage, and 7 countries or subnational regions reported percentages that were not measurably different.
Figure 9.2. Percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who used email every day, by selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries or subnational regions: 2012, 2014, and 2015
1 Most entities participating in the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey are countries, but a few of them are subnational regions. Following the name of each subnational region, its country is indicated in parentheses. For example, England and Northern Ireland are both part of the United Kingdom (UK).
2 Data are from 2015.
3 A supplemental round of data collection was completed in 2014 in order to expand the sample of U.S. adults, allowing for more in-depth data analysis. Results from the United States are based on combined data from 2012 and 2014.
4 Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and subnational regions, to which each country or subnational region reporting data contributes equally.
NOTE: The main data collection for the PIAAC survey was completed in 2012. Unless otherwise noted, all countries' and subnational regions' results are based on the 2012 round of data collection. A second round of international data collection was completed in 2015; this round was conducted only in six countries/regions that did not participate in the first round. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2012/2014; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, PIAAC 2012 and 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 604.40.
The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who reported using email every day (57 percent) was not measurably different from the OECD average. The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported using email every day ranged from 20 percent in the Republic of Korea to 74 percent in the Netherlands. In 5 countries (the Netherlands, Spain, Estonia, the Slovak Republic, and Canada), the percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported using email every day was higher than the corresponding percentage in the United States. In contrast, 9 countries reported percentages of 16- to 19-year-olds using email every day that were lower than the U.S. percentage, and 13 countries or subnational regions reported percentages that were not measurably different.
Figure 9.3. Percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who participated in real-time discussions on the Internet every day, by selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries or subnational regions: 2012, 2014, and 2015
1 Most entities participating in the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey are countries, but a few of them are subnational regions. Following the name of each subnational region, its country is indicated in parentheses. For example, England and Northern Ireland are both part of the United Kingdom (UK).
2 Data are from 2015.
3 Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and subnational regions, to which each country or subnational region reporting data contributes equally.
4 A supplemental round of data collection was completed in 2014 in order to expand the sample of U.S. adults, allowing for more in-depth data analysis. Results from the United States are based on combined data from 2012 and 2014.
NOTE: The main data collection for the PIAAC survey was completed in 2012. Unless otherwise noted, all countries' and subnational regions' results are based on the 2012 round of data collection. A second round of international data collection was completed in 2015; this round was conducted only in six countries/regions that did not participate in the first round. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2012/2014; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, PIAAC 2012 and 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 604.40.
The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who reported that they used the Internet to participate in real-time discussions every day (22 percent) was 11 percentage points lower than the OECD average. The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported performing these activities every day ranged from 6 percent in Japan to 75 percent in Denmark. Denmark's percentage was 25 percentage points higher than Ireland, the country with the second highest percentage (50 percent). The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported participating in real-time discussions on the Internet every day was higher than the corresponding U.S. percentage in 16 countries; conversely, only 2 countries (Turkey and Japan) reported percentages that were lower than the U.S. percentage. In 9 countries or subnational regions, the percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported participating in real-time discussions on the Internet every day was not measurably different from the corresponding percentage in the United States.
Figure 9.4. Percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who used the Internet to understand issues such as health/illness, financial matters, or environmental issues every day, by selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries or subnational regions: 2012, 2014, and 2015
1 Most entities participating in the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey are countries, but a few of them are subnational regions. Following the name of each subnational region, its country is indicated in parentheses. For example, England and Northern Ireland are both part of the United Kingdom (UK).
2 Data are from 2015.
3 Refers to the mean of the data values for all reporting Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and subnational regions, to which each country or subnational region reporting data contributes equally.
4 A supplemental round of data collection was completed in 2014 in order to expand the sample of U.S. adults, allowing for more in-depth data analysis. Results from the United States are based on combined data from 2012 and 2014.
NOTE: The main data collection for the PIAAC survey was completed in 2012. Unless otherwise noted, all countries' and subnational regions' results are based on the 2012 round of data collection. A second round of international data collection was completed in 2015; this round was conducted only in six countries/regions that did not participate in the first round. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), U.S. PIAAC 2012/2014; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, PIAAC 2012 and 2015. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 604.40.
The percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who reported using the Internet to understand issues such as health/illness, financial matters, or environmental issues every day (35 percent) was not measurably different from the OECD average. The percentage who reported using the Internet to understand such issues every day ranged from 7 percent in Japan to 73 percent in the Czech Republic. In 8 countries, the percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds who reported using the Internet to understand such issues every day was higher than the U.S. percentage. In contrast, the percentage of 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States who reported using the Internet to understand such issues every day was higher than the corresponding percentage in 5 countries or subnational regions: England, Finland, Turkey, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. In 15 countries or subnational regions, the percentages of 16- to 19-year-olds who used the Internet to understand health/illness, financial matters, or environmental issues every day that were not measurably different from the percentage in the United States.
1 Chile, Greece, Israel, New Zealand, Slovenia, and Turkey did not participate in the first round of data collection. Data for these countries are from 2015. In the United States only, a supplemental round of data collection was completed in 2014 to expand the sample of U.S. adults and allow for more in-depth data analysis.