The OECD average is the simple unweighted average across countries. Source: Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) 2015. Survey evidence suggests that over one third of American adults want to participate, whereas the unweighted OECD average is about one quarter (OECD, 2017(44]). Barriers to participation include caregiving responsibilities and the pressure of work, which are cited in about the same frequency as in other counties. On the other hand, the expense of adult education creating a barrier to participation was cited more frequently in the United States than the OECD on average, 24% and 15% of respondents, respectively.