<![CDATA[In large cities, almost every adult can read, yet this does not guarantee that they can manage money, look after their health, or avoid online fraud. This study maps which literacies adults in a dense urban settlement actually need, who needs them most, and what keeps them from learning. A survey was conducted with 151 residents aged 18–55 in five neighbourhood units (RW) of Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta, using a Likert-scale questionnaire and open-ended questions. Data were analysed descriptively and with non-parametric tests. Only a quarter of respondents (25.2%) felt they needed to learn reading, writing, and numeracy. Most, by contrast, needed more contextual literacies: financial and entrepreneurial literacy (M = 3.97), health literacy (M = 3.97), confident oral communication (M = 3.93), and digital literacy for safe transactions and fraud awareness (M = 3.75). The gap between basic and functional literacy needs was large (p < .001; r = .80). These needs were unevenly distributed. Residents with household incomes below IDR 2 million reported lower needs for health and digital literacy, while those with primary or lower-secondary education and those over 40 felt less need to learn communication skills. The main barriers were cost, time, and low self-confidence, not a lack of mobile phones. The findings call on urban community education programmes to move from eradicating illiteracy towards literacies that address residents’ everyday problems, delivered close to home and accompanied by efforts to build learning awareness among the most vulnerable groups.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
