All of us who write for the radio and media trades are always looking for ideas and on occasion, we use atypical sources for a column. This week, we’ll take our lead from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, better known as the OECD (if you’re aware of them at all) and The Economist.
The OECD has been around for over 60 years and has 38 member countries including the United States. Most are wealthier countries, and none would be classified as “third world”. The OECD’s stated goal is “better policies for better lives”. The Economist, a magazine that still refers to itself as a newspaper, predates Marconi, having begun publication in 1843. It also produces what is likely the world’s longest podcast. Since July 2007, The Economist in Audio, with professional broadcasters reading an entire issue, typically includes 7-8 hours or more of material each week (and no spots!).
The December 12th issue of The Economist contained an article entitled “Can You Read as Well as a Ten-Year-Old?” and referred to an OECD study. Roughly every ten years, the OECD executes a study of 16–65-year-olds, testing people on literacy and numeracy. Released earlier this month, the results suggest that one-fifth of adults are no better in reading and math than you might expect of a child in elementary school! Most countries declined in both areas, but more so in literacy.
While you may have a personal interest in Finland, Japan, or another of the 31 countries tested, let’s focus on the U.S. 28% of U.S. adults in the study tested at what the OECD calls Level 1 or below. If you’re below level 1, you can understand “short simple sentences”. At Level 1, you can “understand short texts and organized lists when information is clearly indicated, find specific information, and identify relevant links”.
For numeracy, 34% of the US adults tested were at Level 1 or below. Those below Level 1 can add or subtract small numbers. Level 1 means an individual can “do basic math with whole numbers or money, understand decimals, and find single pieces of information in tables or charts, but may struggle with tasks needing multiple steps, for example, solving a proportion”.
Tying a multi-country OECD study to radio may seem far-fetched, but if a chunk of your audience is not very good at reading or math, it matters. As an example, let’s consider the Nielsen radio diary. During my involvement with the service, the goal was to keep the reading level at sixth grade or below. PPM printed materials follow the same rule. The more you “dumb it down”, the better the response rates. It’s safe to say that people will not do something they do not understand. And even if they fill out a diary or answer a survey as a prelude to becoming a PPM home, understanding what is being asked is incredibly important.
Consider how your radio stations present themselves. Is everything you do, on-air, online, or anywhere else, easy to understand? If you run contests, whether local or national, are they simple ones? If you’re offering anything that involves money, for example, discount deals online, is the arithmetic super simple? Just because you may easily understand the materials doesn’t mean all of your audience will get it.
A while back, I wrote a column about understanding ratings. As I’ve said for many years, if you can add, subtract, multiply, and divide (or have a calculator on your phone), ratings are easy. Maybe you’re in that Level 2 numeracy group and have trouble with all the estimates that Nielsen can throw at you. Don’t let the numbers bother you. Again, everything you need is in your phone and the calculations are straightforward.
There was one other measure in the OECD report referred to as “adaptive problem solving”. The US results showed 32% at or below Level 1 proficiency. Below means “understanding very simple problems, typically solved in one step”. Level 1 is described as solving “simple problems with few variables and little irrelevant information…”. Does this infer that many US adults would have trouble operating their vehicle’s infotainment system? Most systems aren’t simple and this result infers why many owners of newer vehicles can’t use all the features available to them. That may include finding a favorite radio station.
We’ve all heard the KISS principle many times…Keep It Simple, Stupid! Based on the OECD’s results, it’s obvious that you can’t overestimate the skill level of a portion of your audience. If you want, you can review the US portion of the study for yourself.
This is my last column of 2024 and I offer a humble “thank you” for your time reading my column this year and best wishes to you and your family this holiday season.
Let’s meet again next year!
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