Knowledge of English among Spaniards
Only 30 percent of Spaniards speak English
According to figures published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) today only 5% of adults aged between 25 and 74 years old have an advanced level of English, that is, a little more than a million people; 16% have an average knowledge of English and 8% admit to only having a basic knowledge of the language.
The survey carried out in 2007 which looked at the participation of the Spanish adult population in educative activities showed that 29.24% of the adult population had a knowledge of English and 14.7% a knowledge of French.
The sector of the population with the highest knowledge of English was found to be those aged between 25 and 34 years old, in fact 50.24% of them. On the other hand, only 7.65% of older people had a high knowledge of the language.
Figures published today also show that slightly more women (52.6%) than men (48%) aged between 25 and 34 years old possess a knowledge of English.
Knowledge of and the use of English is more common amongst higher educated people and those with university educations (62.09%) compared to secondary school educated people (39.5%).
The INE also discovered that 33.6% of all adults included in the survey say that they are able to use a language other than their mother tongue;12.6% said that they had knowledge of two other languages while just 4% had knowledge of three or more languages.
The survey also found that 41.5% of the adult population (47.4% of men and 35.7% of women) and 16% of university students had not read a book for pleasure during the 12 months preceding the survey.
According to figures published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) today only 5% of adults aged between 25 and 74 years old have an advanced level of English, that is, a little more than a million people; 16% have an average knowledge of English and 8% admit to only having a basic knowledge of the language.
The survey carried out in 2007 which looked at the participation of the Spanish adult population in educative activities showed that 29.24% of the adult population had a knowledge of English and 14.7% a knowledge of French.
The sector of the population with the highest knowledge of English was found to be those aged between 25 and 34 years old, in fact 50.24% of them. On the other hand, only 7.65% of older people had a high knowledge of the language.
Figures published today also show that slightly more women (52.6%) than men (48%) aged between 25 and 34 years old possess a knowledge of English.
Knowledge of and the use of English is more common amongst higher educated people and those with university educations (62.09%) compared to secondary school educated people (39.5%).
The INE also discovered that 33.6% of all adults included in the survey say that they are able to use a language other than their mother tongue;12.6% said that they had knowledge of two other languages while just 4% had knowledge of three or more languages.
The survey also found that 41.5% of the adult population (47.4% of men and 35.7% of women) and 16% of university students had not read a book for pleasure during the 12 months preceding the survey.
2 Comments:
I have been living in Spain for a while now and I have noticed as well that the younger people start speaking English more and more. Due to better education and the internationalisation, younger people tend to learn English much longer as they did before. However, I hope learning English doesn´t affect their Spanish level, as this is a beautiful language as well.
During my journeys through Spain I have noticed as well that a lot of none Spanish speaking people are learning Spanish nowadays.
Hi Cyril,
Spanish is full of potential, but is mangled on a daily basis in the media and on the street. The only way for Spaniards to appreciate what they actually have at hand is for them to see themselves through the prism of English. As it is, they don't value or respect what Spanish is capable of.
Sadly, I don't see much curiosity for the way life is lived outside of Spain. This "inquietud" is a prequisite for any hope of a future in a globalized world. There is a lot of talk about the world coming to them, but little future if they don't embrace the world.
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