More than six in 10 Hispanic immigrants and 41 percent of all immigrants are functionally illiterate with the English language, according to a study by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).
Further, 43 percent of immigrants who have been in the U.S. for 15 years or more also are functionally illiterate.
Other results from the CIS research:
- 63 percent of Hispanic immigrants are illiterate in English.
- 44 percent of Hispanic immigrants who self-report speaking English "well" or "very well" are actually illiterate in English.
- 22 percent of children of Hispanic immigrants are below basic levels in English.
- Just 5 percent of second-generation Hispanic immigrants have elite literacy skills.
CIS also found that 67 percent of Hispanic immigrants who have been in the U.S. for 15 years or more are illiterate in English.
That result "reveals an important observation: Immigrants who had poor English skills upon arrival still have poor English skills more than 15 years later," CIS reported.
The study surveyed 8,000 Americans between the ages of 16 and 74. The literacy test measures the English ability of a representative sample of adults living in U.S. households between 2012 and 2014.
The test is strictly in English, meaning people whose English is weak will perform poorly, even if they are literate in another language.
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