Reading At Risk or On the Rise?

Reading at Risk?

A 2004 Report from the National Endowment for the Arts Compared Census Bureau trends vs 1982 and 1992.

“Have you, during the past 12 months,
read any novels, plays, or poetry for pleasure?”


Key findings1:

  • For the first time in modern history, less than 50% of US population reads literature (all genres, including popular).
  • 10% point drop since 1982 (56-46%), paralleling the rise of media technology.
  • Women read more than men (55% vs 38%), but both show declines.
  • Declining across all demographics (white: 51%, AA 37%, His 27%).
  • Declining across all education levels (grade school 14%, grad school 67%). 
  • Declining among all age groups (highest percentage of readers 45-54 y/o - 52%).
  • Rate of decline is accelerating, especially among the young (-28%).
  • Decline is largely attributable to the increase in electronic media. 


- According to this survey, "At current rates, literary reading as a leisure activity will disappear by mid-century."
 

But Wait - or On the Rise?

- 2009 NEA follow-up study2 found literary reading on the rise for the first time in 26 years since the survey began.

  • Dramatic rise in adult literary reading: 46.7 in 2002 to 50.2 percent in 2008 (16.6 million new readers).
  • Most significant growth in Young Adults, esp 18-24 (21% increase), who previously had the steepest decline.
  • This group was the target of one of the largest literacy initiatives in history, validating the efficacy of such initiatives, e.g. NEA’s The Big Read.
  • Much of the YA increase was via online reading. 
  • Nearly 15% of adults now read literature online, though rates drop with age.
  • 77% of adults who read online articles, blogs, etc, also read books.
  • Much of the increase was via reading required at work or school.  
  • Women (58%) still read more than men (42%), but men increased at a faster rate (+11% vs +5%). 
  • Rates highest for most educated (68% grad, 18% grade school) but all increased.
  • Sorry, Bards: Fiction had the largest increase (to 47%), while poetry and drama continued to decrease (to 8.3%, 2.6% respectively).

What's at Stake: "A Vast Cultural Impoverishment."

- Children who grow up in a culture that values reading are more likely to have positive attitudes towards reading.

- Decline in reading foreshadows erosion in cultural and civic participation.  Readers tend to participate highly in: 

  • Charity work (43% vs 17% for non-). 
  • Visiting museums (44% vs 12%).
  • Attending arts events (49% vs 17%).
  • Creating visual art or writing (31.8% vs 10.2%).
  • Attending sporting events (46% vs 27%).
  • Playing sports (37.7% vs 23.6%).
  • Exercise (72.3% vs 39.5%).


- Continuing Coverage: Non-readers watch more television, perpetuating the non-reading cycle.

- Culture War Kindling: Marginalization of reading fuels a resentment of a media and academic “elite,” and leaves citizens vulnerable to political manipulation and less able to understand complex global issues.

- Story Time Stimulus Package? Employers consistently rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires.

 

  1. “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.” National Endowment for the Arts. June, 2004.”
  2. "Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy." National Endowment for the Arts.  January, 2009.
  • Other citations available upon request.