Adult Education Survey 2022

This chapter examines the relationship between key adult learning statistics from the 2017 and 2022 Adult Education Surveys (AES). It's important to note that there are some differences in how the surveys were conducted, particularly the fact that the maximum age of participants increased to 69 in 2022. The analysis in this chapter only considers data from individuals aged 64 or below in the 2022 AES.

Small Increase in participation in lifelong learning since 2017

• Over half of adults (55%) aged 25-64 reported participating in lifelong learning (formal and/or non-formal education) in the reference period of 2022 compared to 54% in 2017.
• Just over one in ten adults aged 25-64 (11%) participated in formal education in 2022, an increase of 2% on 2017.
• Half of adults (50%) aged 25-64 participated in some form of non-formal education in 2022 the same participation rate as 2017.
• More than half (54%) of individuals aged 25-64 reported engaging in informal learning in 2022 compared to 62% in 2017. See Table 8.1 & Adult Education Survey 2017.