in the us, 14% of adults are at the "below basic" level for prose literacy; 12% are at the "below basic" level for document literacy; and 22% are at that level for quantitative literacy. only 13% of the population is proficient in these three areas. in the terms of the study, "proficient" means these people are able to compare viewpoints in two editorials. they can interpret a table about blood pressure, age, and physical activity. they can also compute and compare the cost per ounce of food items.