More (not so) fun facts:
54% of American adults read below a 6th grade level.
21% read below a 5th grade level, which is considered functionally illiterate.
High immigration numbers don't fully explain it either, as first gen immigrants only make up about 1/3 of those with low literacy.
meaning is fungible and largely a product of the readers projection onto the authors words.
two-highly educated people can read a passage an come up with wildly different interpretations of it's meaning and context.
also why people think quotes are 'deep'. because they are decontextualized wells of personal projection.