I love the Pew Research Center. I love the idea of a “fact tank”. Just the sound of it makes me want to go swimming.
They recently released their latest data on reading in the U.S.A. with previous years, nearly three-quarters of Americans read a book in the last year, with an average of 12 books read (mean). The typical American reads 4 books a year (median). I had to remind myself again what the difference was between the mean (average) and the median (middle number).
They found that print book reading is still outnumbering digital formats:
- 39% of Americans only read print books
- 29% read both digital and print books
- 7% only read digital formats
When it comes to audiobooks:
- 23% of 18 – 29-year-olds have listened in the past 12 months, up from 16% in 2016
- 16 % of high school graduates have listened to an audiobook in the past 12 months, up from 9% in 2016
- 17% of adults in rural communities have listened to audiobooks in the past 12 months, up from 10% in 2016
Demographic patterns for reading remain consistent as in past years. College graduates are likely to read more than those who have not attended college, while young adults read more books than those 65 and older.
Tell me below. What kind of books do you read? How many?
I only leave reviews for books I like,too. I assume if I don’t like it, it could be personal opinion. 🙂 I do listen to audio books, but only if they are less important to me than books I want to read with my eyes. I do that even less now too because I work at home now and have less travel time. If I really like a book it is easier to read on Kindle, but I will give up quicker if it’s not that interesting.
A few years ago, I started writing reviews on GoodReads for every book that I enjoyed. (I can’t bring myself to write a bad review; as an author, I imagine how heartbreaking it would be to read something mean.) So, I read maybe 50 books a year, and the vast majority are print books; I only read on my Kindle if the book isn’t available in print, and I only listen to audio books if I love the voiceover artist, like Stephen Fry. Whatever format, I’m much more likely to read non-fiction and essays (Kelly Corrigan’s new “Tell Me More” is amazing), and I’m more likely to read classics than new fiction.
Great post! 🙂 It was fun to take the survey. 🙂 I still love print books, but occasionally I will read an ebook.I found this post at Inspire Me Monday Linky Party.
Thank you for visiting and taking the poll.
What fun! I prefer print books, but ebooks are so much cheaper, so I also read those. Because of my hearing problem, I can’t listen to audiobooks. On Goodreads, I have read 40 books in 3 months, which is more than I have in years past, but I’ve made a decision to lay off the Netflix and spend more time reading. 😉
Hi Lila- I need to spend more time reading and get off my computer! I prefer print too, but have some on my tablet for travel.