How much do you read on any given day? I read a fair amount for work. I also read when I get home for pleasure. I first got into the habit of reading for entertainment when I was in Junior high school. I discovered my older brother’s science fiction library and at that point there was no turning back.
Summer seems to be a good time for reading. Many people will take a book or 2 with them when they go on vacation.
Reading trends have been changing in Washington State and the USA at large. A new CBS News poll about reading for pleasure in the United States has come to some interesting conclusions.
According to msn.com,
‘As the summer reading season begins in earnest, a third of Americans say they’re reading fewer books for personal enjoyment than they did 10 years ago — a decline that cuts across age and education levels.’
What did they discover?
36% of the people surveyed said that they read fewer books today than they would 10 years ago, and there’s a very good reason for this.
They just don’t have the time.
There are too many distractions.
More than a third of those responses also said that their own attention spans have reduced over the last 10 years.
Where has that time gone?
So, instead of reading for pleasure, what are these people doing instead to fill that time?
55% of those surveyed said they watched movies and television.
53% said they invested that time in social media.
36% said they use that time to play games.
What medium do you use when you read?
Many of the people who still read for pleasure that were in the survey said that they still prefer a hard copy book in their hands, whether it’s a paperback or a hardcover.
21% said they use a digital medium to do their reading, whether it’s a computer, a tablet, or another kind of e-reader. (Most of the time I wind up using a Kindle.)
There’s lots of other interesting information in this survey that was conducted by CBS News, But the big number at the end of the survey is the one that I was most interested in.
How many books do you read in a year?
Even though most Americans are reading less, they haven’t given up completely.
12% of Americans in the survey said they read 20 plus books a year.
23% said they read between 6 to 20 books a year.
18% said they read anywhere from 3 to 5 books a year.
23% and the survey said they read 1 to 2 books a year.
24% of those surveyed say they read no books per year.
Also based on the survey, fewer men are reading than women.
Interestingly, there doesn’t seem to be much of a divide between older and younger generations when it comes to reading for pleasure.
LOOK (IT’S IN A BOOK): Books Set In Washington
Gallery Credit: Stacker