Americans are reading for pleasure far less than they used to — a recent survey found a 40 percent drop in leisure reading over the last 20 years.
Researchers from the University of Florida and University College London collected data from 236,000 Americans, spanning from 2003 to 2023. They discovered the shift has been a slow and constant one, suggesting the drop is a larger cultural change among Americans. According to the data, there was a 3 percent drop per year.
The phenomenon was not experienced evenly across the country. Specific demographics, like black Americans, those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and people who live in rural areas, were reading less than others studied.
“While people with higher education levels and women are still more likely to read, even among these groups, we’re seeing shifts,” said Jessica Bone, a senior research fellow in statistics and epidemiology at University College London.
Researchers are concerned about the drop in reading for pleasure and the effect it will have on society.
“Reading has historically been a low-barrier, high-impact way to engage creatively and improve quality of life,” Jill Sonke, director of research initiatives at the UF Center for Arts in Medicine, said. “When we lose one of the simplest tools in our public health toolkit, it’s a serious loss.”
Further, researchers found that reading with children, which is very important to the literacy and development of a child, did not decline over the 20-year span. It was clarified, however, that reading with children was found to be less common in general than reading for pleasure, which poses its own concerns, according to Bone, including family bonding and academic success.
Researchers suggest that the decline in reading can be attributed to the rise in digital media, among other things.
“Our digital culture is certainly part of the story,” Sonke said. “But there are also structural issues — limited access to reading materials, economic insecurity and a national decline in leisure time. If you’re working multiple jobs or dealing with transportation barriers in a rural area, a trip to the library may just not be feasible.”