The Finch Formerly Known As Gold

31 December 2004

We're not as think as you dumb we are

How do you measure literacy, anyway? If you're Dr. Jack Miller, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, you use five major factors: newspaper circulation, numbers of bookstores, library resources, publishing and educational attainment. Variables derived from the data are then blended, poured into a pan, baked at 350 degrees, and served as America's Most Literate Cities 2004, which ranks the seventy-nine US cities with populations over two hundred thousand.

If you'd asked me out of the blue where, on a scale like this with criteria like these, I'd estimate Oklahoma City might fall, I'd have pointed to the middle: we're not really especially high or low in any of these areas. Turns out we're 39th of 79, which is pretty close to the center. On the individual factors:

  • Education: 35th (tied with Boston)
  • Periodicals published: 35th
  • Newspaper circulation: 36th
  • Libraries: 49th
  • Booksellers: 39th

Tulsa, which did better in three categories and worse in two, is up in 21st place.

I don't anticipate an increase in statewide braggadocio as a result of these findings, but anything that puts a dent in the persistent dumb-Okie stereotype is fine with me.

(Via Red Dirt Blog.)

Posted at 11:51 AM to Soonerland


TrackBack: 9:24 PM, 31 December 2004
» http://www.ladysmaidjewels.com/Cblog/archives/000493.html from The Anger of Compassion
El Paso leaves 2004 on a...well, on some kind of note: Dr. Jack Miller of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater created a literacy ranking for the 79 U.S. cities with populations over 200, 000, and El Paso came in...79th. The most......[read more]

Hmmmm...wonder if someday they will include "Number of Bloggers" as one of the factors.

Posted by: david at 12:11 PM on 31 December 2004

Would that count as a plus or as a minus?

Posted by: CGHill at 12:46 PM on 31 December 2004

While it's good to see OKC ranked near the middle, I am frankly curious as to what they consider to be "newspaper circulation" or "publishing." LA is ranked 68th in the survey. This can only be true if the folks conducting the survey are not counting Spanish/Vietnamese/Chinese publishers or newspapers, some of which can rival the LA Times in circulation.

Posted by: Brad S at 1:31 PM on 31 December 2004

If I'm reading the methodology correctly, they consider those as "journals" and average them in with the periodicals.

Then again, they may be giving short shrift to foreign-language publications after all: most of the bottom ten (El Paso brings up the rear) are cities with large Spanish-speaking populations. Obviously this doesn't actually prove anything, but there does seem to be something of a pattern.

Posted by: CGHill at 1:43 PM on 31 December 2004

Of course as far as "literal" literacy goes we have a nice little 18% of the adult population who are funtionally illiterate ... almost 1 in 5. Of course 1 in 5 Oklahoman's also drive without insurance and 10% have "mental problems" ... For the life of me though, I can't help but wonder are their overlapping areas of coverage here? :)

Happy New Year!

Posted by: Ron at 6:21 PM on 31 December 2004