0698daea69
- Add DE-Platform-Media (DS-00015), DE-Epistemic-Competence (DS-00016), DE-Social-Mobility (DS-00017) with source stubs - Update DE-Democracy-Metrics, DE-Federal-Budget, DE-Lobby-Transparency, DE-Parliament-Activity, Knowledge-Worker salaries - Add get-de-digital script for digital economy data retrieval - Update de-plan1-sven with revised strategy sections - Rename flat-dir index files to .md (Arguments, Claims, Problems, Values) - Append new entries to Data/UPDATES.md Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
7.3 KiB
DE Epistemic Competence
Last Updated: 2026-04-20 Update Method: Manual — PIAAC (OECD, ~decennial), Wissenschaftsbarometer (annual), Eurobarometer (periodic) Coverage: Adult literacy, digital skills, science trust, fake news perception — Germany
🎯 BEST ESTIMATE
| Metric | Value | Confidence | Last Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy score | 284 / ~500 | 90% | 2023 (PIAAC) |
| Adult numeracy score | 299 / ~500 | 90% | 2023 (PIAAC) |
| Adults below literacy Level 2 | ~21% | 85% | 2023 (PIAAC) |
| Trust in scientists | ~60% "a lot/somewhat" | 85% | 2024 (Wissenschaftsbarometer) |
| Adults with basic+ digital skills | ~70% | 80% | 2019 (Eurostat) |
| Feel able to identify fake news | ~72% | 70% | 2023 (Eurobarometer) |
One-liner: Germany above OECD average; 21% of adults lack functional literacy.
Caveat: Self-reported fake news identification confidence (72%) substantially overstates actual media literacy competence — experimental studies show most people cannot reliably identify disinformation.
Quick Context
Germany scores above OECD average on measured adult competencies (PIAAC 2023), but 21% of adults function below a literacy threshold sufficient for independent democratic participation. Science trust is moderate and declining. Self-assessed media literacy is high; actual competence is likely far lower.
Methodology Summary
Approach: PIAAC 2023 for direct competency measurement; Wissenschaftsbarometer for annual science trust tracking; Eurobarometer for EU-comparable media literacy perception data.
Sources:
- OECD PIAAC 2023: Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (published Dec 2024)
- Wissenschaft im Dialog: Wissenschaftsbarometer 2024
- European Commission / Eurobarometer: Special surveys on media literacy and disinformation
- Eurostat isoc_sk_dskl_i: Digital skills self-assessment (2019 data, older series)
Definition Used: "Epistemic competence" = combination of literacy, numeracy, digital problem-solving, and science trust. PIAAC measures actual performance; Eurobarometer measures self-perception.
Detailed Findings
PIAAC 2023 — Adult Competencies (Germany)
OECD Survey of Adult Skills, 2023 round (results published December 2024). Scale 0–500.
| Domain | Germany Score | OECD Average | Germany vs. OECD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literacy | 284 | 260 | +24 points |
| Numeracy | 299 | 263 | +36 points |
| Adaptive Problem Solving | 255 | 251 | +4 points |
Proficiency distribution (Literacy):
| Level | Description | Germany share |
|---|---|---|
| Below Level 2 | Cannot reliably process simple texts | ~21% |
| Level 2 | Basic functional literacy | ~33% |
| Level 3 | Moderate — adequate for most tasks | ~33% |
| Level 4/5 | High competency | ~14% |
The ~21% below Level 2 represents ~14 million German adults who lack literacy sufficient for independent navigation of complex political or technical information.
Source: OECD PIAAC 2023. Manual update; next round expected ~2030.
Wissenschaftsbarometer 2024 — Science Trust (Germany)
Annual tracking survey by Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD).
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Trust in scientists "a lot or somewhat" | ~60% |
| "Don't trust" scientists | ~16% |
| "Science benefits society more than it harms" | ~75% |
| Main information source for science: TV | ~45% |
| Main source: Internet/Social Media | ~38% |
Source: Wissenschaftsbarometer 2024 (Wissenschaft im Dialog). Manual update required annually (published autumn).
Eurobarometer — Media Literacy & Disinformation Perception
| Metric | Value | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Feel confident identifying fake news (DE) | ~72% | 2023 |
| Encounter fake news daily or almost daily | ~50% | 2023 |
| Check sources before sharing content | ~40% | 2023 |
| Think disinformation is a problem in DE | ~85% | 2023 |
Source: Eurobarometer surveys on Media Pluralism and Democracy / Disinformation. Manual update. Note: confidence in identifying fake news is self-assessed — experimental studies consistently show actual competence is much lower.
Social Origin & Educational Stratification
Educational stratification is a structural precondition for epistemic competence gaps. Data: Destatis (2015/16), cited in Brockmeier/Gropp, IWH 2017.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Gymnasium rate — children from high-education families | 61% |
| Gymnasium rate — children from low-education families | 14% |
| Upward mobility vs. Scandinavia | Significantly lower |
| Upward mobility vs. USA | Comparable |
The 47-percentage-point gap in Gymnasium access by parental education is one structural mechanism producing the ~21% of adults below literacy Level 2. See DE-Social-Mobility (DS-00017) for full dataset.
Eurostat — Digital Skills (Germany, older series)
| Indicator | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Basic or above basic overall digital skills (% individuals 16–74) | 2019 | 70.2% |
| Basic skills | 2019 | ~39% |
| Above basic skills | 2019 | ~31% |
Source: Eurostat isoc_sk_dskl_i. Newer (post-2019) DE data not available in PC_IND series.
Source Analysis
Why These Sources?
| Source | Strengths | Weaknesses | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIAAC 2023 | Only direct measurement of adult competencies; 40+ countries; skills tested not self-reported | Decennial; expensive; 2023 results are first update since 2012 | Very High |
| Wissenschaftsbarometer | Annual; Germany-specific; consistent methodology since 2014 | Self-report only; question framing effects | High |
| Eurobarometer | EU-comparable; consistent waves | Self-perception, not actual competency; question framing | Medium |
| Eurostat digital skills | EU-standardized | Series discontinued/changed post-2019 for PC_IND; self-assessed | Medium |
Research Metadata
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Research Date | 2026-04-20 |
| Researcher | Sven / PAI |
| Method | Manual aggregation from authoritative annual/decennial sources |
| Confidence Level | 85–90% (PIAAC, direct measurement); 70–85% (perception surveys) |
| Known Gaps | No annual direct competency measurement; digital skills Eurostat series discontinued; gap between self-assessed and actual media literacy |
| Update Frequency | PIAAC ~decennial; Wissenschaftsbarometer annual (autumn); Eurobarometer periodic |
Connection to DE-Plan
- 21% of adults below literacy Level 2 (~14M people) → CHALLENGE 5: structural knowledge isolation; partially produced by 61% vs. 14% Gymnasium stratification by parental education (→ DE-Social-Mobility DS-00017)
- Science trust declining trend → CHALLENGE 1: epistemic fragmentation as populations diverge on what counts as credible knowledge
- High fake news confidence (72%) vs. low actual competence → CHALLENGE 5: citizens lack tools to evaluate claims independently despite believing they have them
Changelog
| Date | Change | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-20 | Initial dataset created | DE-Plan CHALLENGE 5 data gap |
| 2026-04-20 | Added social stratification section | IWH 2017 / Destatis data; links to DE-Social-Mobility DS-00017 |