What does P.I.A.A.C stand for?
What is the Goal of PIAAC
What is the purpose of this Study?
What does PIAAC deliver?
Who is conducting the PIAAC study in Ireland?
When will it happen?
How will the sample be selected?
How was I chosen for this Study?
Will my answers be kept confidential?
What type of questions will I have to answer?
I have not been in school for years. How can I help?
What do I do if somebody calls to my door?
How long does the study take?
Do I have to be able to use a tablet to complete the study?
Will I get paid for my time?
Did you know?
The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). This is an OECD (The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) sponsored study aimed at measuring certain adult skills across different participating countries.
The PIAAC study is designed to be repeated every 10 years with the second cycle due to begin in 2022.
The goal of PIAAC is to assess and compare the basic skills and competencies for adults in an internationally comparable way. The skills assessed – literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem solving – are considered to be essential for successful participation in modern society and to be a foundation for developing numerous other more specific skills and competencies. Specifically, PIAAC measures relationships between adults’ educational background, workplace experiences and skills, occupational attainment, use of information and communications technology, and cognitive skills in the areas of literacy, numeracy, and adaptive problem solving.
PIAAC Cycle 2 aims to continue to:
PIAAC will offer participating countries a powerful tool for the measurement and analysis of competencies among their adult populations. It is specifically designed to provide an evidence base for policy-relevant analysis.
PIAAC is being conducted in Ireland by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) at the request of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. This study has been designed to collect information about respondents’ education, work experience and use of computers and technology. The study also measures important adult skills, such as literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem solving. This information will help get a clear picture of the challenges we face as a country to develop a more skilled work force in the 21st century.
The Main Study of PIAAC cycle 2 will begin in September 2022. Results of PIAAC Cycle 2 are expected in 2024 when national and international reports on the study will be published.
Households will be selected at random in each county in Ireland, and from within selected households one person, aged between 16 and 65, will be selected to complete the PIAAC study.
Since interviewing every adult in Ireland would be very expensive and difficult, we use scientific statistical methods to randomly select adults. While participation in our study is voluntary, it is important that selected adults take part so an accurate representation of all adults throughout the country will be gained.
All individual information obtained by the CSO is strictly confidential.
Results are published in aggregate form and great care is taken to ensure that details relating to an identifiable person or undertaking are not inadvertently divulged.
All information obtained for statistical purposes may only be accessed by Officers of Statistics. Statistical results may not disclose details of any identifiable person or business. Guaranteed by law under Section 33 of the Statistics Act, 1993.
All information obtained under the Statistics Act will be used for statistical purposes only. It will not be used for any other purpose. This is guaranteed by law under Section 10(1) and Section 32 of the Statistics Act, 1993.
The study consists of two main parts. In the first part, the background questionnaire, we ask questions about previous and current education, employment history, computer usage and use of certain skills in everyday life and the workplace. In the second part of the study, we ask you to complete a number of tasks on a tablet.
As a representative of a section of society, it is very important that you participate. It is essential that adults from different backgrounds are represented in this study. We need information from:
All interviewers carry an official identity card with their name and photograph. If you have any concerns please contact the CSO directly at 021 453 5476.
The questionnaire is tailored to ask questions depending on individual circumstances (e.g. employed, unemployed, student, retired). Responses will dictate subsequent question routing, thereby varying the length of the study. The study takes on average one and a half hours to complete.
The study is about adult skills used in daily activities, not about tablet use.
This study will be looking at real life experiences such as reading an airport timetable, locating information on a simple nutrition label or putting a list of dates in order.
Each person who fully completes the study and assessment will receive a gratuity voucher.
Even in the most economically advanced countries, large proportions of adults have low literacy skills. In countries participating in PIAAC in 2012, between one-quarter and two-thirds of adults failed to attain Literacy Level 3, considered to be the minimum skill level required to cope with the demands of modern society.
PIAAC 2012 Survey Results for Ireland (PDF 11,733KB)
Table 2.2
Some adults who do poorly on literacy studies have been shown to have strong basic reading and writing skills but are unable to apply these skills to real-life situations.
The cohort of students who took part in the first PIAAC study in 2011 will be aged 26 years at the time of the second PIAAC study. PIAAC will look at how well young adults are making the transition from education to work, and the distributions of key skills and activities in this age group.
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.