In 30 Years, Survey Shows That Americans Are Reading the Lowest Numbers of Books Annually
- 2 years ago
'Newsweek' reports that a new survey found that Americans are reading fewer books than at any point since 1990.
A recent Gallop survey found that adults in the U.S. read an average of 12.6 books over the past year.
According to 'Newsweek,' that's about three less books than the same survey in 2016.
It's also the smallest number of books annually read that Gallup has measured in the past three decades.
Between 2016 and now, the number of Americans reading over 10 books a year has dropped 8%.
Meanwhile, the number of Americans reading between six and ten books, or reading no books at all, remained relatively unchanged.
The number of adults reading between five and ten books increased from 35% in 2016 up to 40%.
According to Gallup, the reasons for the decline, and whether the pandemic played a role, remain unclear.
The largest drop was reportedly among college graduates, who read about six less books in 2021 than they did in 2016 or in 2002.
In 2002 and 2016, approximately half of college grads were reading over 10 books a year.
In 2021, only 35% of graduates still read that many books.
In 2016, just 12% of adults said that their preferred pastime was reading.
In 2020, that number dropped to just 6% of adults who said that reading was still their preferred pastime.
A recent Gallop survey found that adults in the U.S. read an average of 12.6 books over the past year.
According to 'Newsweek,' that's about three less books than the same survey in 2016.
It's also the smallest number of books annually read that Gallup has measured in the past three decades.
Between 2016 and now, the number of Americans reading over 10 books a year has dropped 8%.
Meanwhile, the number of Americans reading between six and ten books, or reading no books at all, remained relatively unchanged.
The number of adults reading between five and ten books increased from 35% in 2016 up to 40%.
According to Gallup, the reasons for the decline, and whether the pandemic played a role, remain unclear.
The largest drop was reportedly among college graduates, who read about six less books in 2021 than they did in 2016 or in 2002.
In 2002 and 2016, approximately half of college grads were reading over 10 books a year.
In 2021, only 35% of graduates still read that many books.
In 2016, just 12% of adults said that their preferred pastime was reading.
In 2020, that number dropped to just 6% of adults who said that reading was still their preferred pastime.