In a newly released May 2020 publication, nces.ed.gov (the U.S. National Center for Education and Statistics) reported showing 14% of Americans with reading ability proficiently/at high-school level, and 8% are proficient at mathematics. This is similar to a 2019 report from Wylie Communications, which used NCES PIAAC numbers from 2014, where, "just 12% of Americans can read at what we consider the high school literacy level," and, "2% have college literacy levels." 

NCES releases various publications of 4-year and 10-year studies that benchmark Americans with other countries.

Apparently, the majority of people cannot do their own research; they might not comprehend what they are reading or writing -- they might not know if they have quality information.