Who Reads Books?
May is designated as “National Get Caught Reading Month,” founded in 1999 and now the highlight of a campaign managed by the nonprofit Every Child a Reader.
Do you ever talk with family or friends about what they’re reading? That’s the most common way we find the books we read. Surveys of reading habits reveal many surprises about who is reading, how they’re reading, and what they’re reading.
For example, a 2020 article looked at the reading habits of five generations: Gen Z, 5-25 years of age; Millennials, 26-40; Gen X, 41-55; Baby Boomers, 56-75; and the Silent Generation, 76+ years old. Millennials – the busy heads of household who also form the bulk of our economic workforce – are the most voracious readers and the biggest library-goers. All generations still prefer reading physical books to digital ones (except everyone prefers to read their news online). All generations prefer fiction over nonfiction, and interest in apocalyptic fiction in particular has been boosted during the pandemic. Half of 6-8 year olds read for fun most days, but only a quarter of 15-17 year olds read for fun; and while 45% of teenage girls read books, only 27% of boys say the same.
Another article reports that 88% of the Americans who read e-books continue to read printed ones as well – and explains some of the reasons why (such as improved understanding and remembering of what you’ve read from turning actual pages).
Internationally? Older research shows that people in India read the most – more than 10 hours a week on average – while those in the U.S. average less than six hours a week.
So who doesn’t read books? There is evidence that pre-pandemic trends were toward less daily reading by Americans and that there are significant demographic differences in reading habits. For example, richer, suburban, or college graduate Americans are more likely to read than those with lower incomes, less schooling, or living in urban or rural areas. Also, men were less likely to have read a book in the preceding year than were women.
And what do people read? This is complicated to assess, but one recent article reported that the most profitable categories of books sold by Amazon are:
Romance / Erotica
Crime / Mystery
Religious / Inspirational
Science Fiction / Fantasy
Horror
My own unscientific questioning reveals that lots of readers alternate fiction with nonfiction books, or keep one of each going all the time. Friends also commonly keep a book or a magazine in their bag or in the car, as they would a flashlight or jumper cables. Many admit to acquiring books that they never get around to reading, and there’s actually a name for this that’s been in use for more than a century: tsundoku.
One of the great joys of a bookstore is chatting with readers about what they read and why. Since opening Legacy Used Books, I’ve gained a deeper and broader humility about what I know about books and reading, and a greater curiosity as well. As Irwin Shaw put it, “There are too many books I haven’t read, too many places I haven’t seen, too many memories I haven’t kept long enough.” Read on!
