Is reading going extinct?
It wasn’t too long ago that people looked forward to curling up with a good book. We read to be entertained, to learn new things, to stimulate our imagination and creativity, or simply to relax.
Reading less for fun
According to a research team led by the University of Florida and University College London, reading as a pastime is way down mainly because of digital media. They found that daily reading for pleasure in the United States fell 40 % over the past two decades. The findings were published in the journal ‘iScience’(opens in new window). The researchers analysed surveys from more than 236 000 Americans aged 15 and older between 2003 and 2023. The share of participants who read a book, magazine, newspaper or e-reader or who listened to an audiobook every day dropped about 3 % per year. “Our digital culture is certainly part of the story. 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,” commented Jill Sonke, research professor at the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, in a news release(opens in new window). “Reading has always been one of the more accessible ways to support well-being. To see this kind of decline is concerning, because the research is clear: reading is a vital health-enhancing behaviour for every group within society, with benefits across the life-course,” added Daisy Fancourt, professor of psychology and epidemiology at University College London. The results didn’t show a big drop in reading to children. However, the problem is that only 2 % of adults read with children on a daily basis. “We know that for children, being read to is linked to preparation for reading, preparation for early education, and it’s also linked to reading attainment later on,” Sonke told ‘CNN’(opens in new window). “Of course, those educational implications are really significant, and I think they become even more significant as we enter this era of AI.”
Make reading fun again
But to get young people reading again, it’s the adults who have to show them the way by maintaining and nurturing the reading habit. “When adults position themselves as fellow readers, my own research indicates that they model the value and satisfaction they find in their own literate lives and induct young people into such pleasures,” explained Teresa Cremin, professor of education and co-director of the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice at The Open University in the United Kingdom. But there’s another reason why reading is vital for young people. “My motivation for reading to my kids was certainly about educational attainment and readiness, but it was really an important bonding time in our family, and we also know that bonding with children is really important to their well-being,” Sonke stated. In some encouraging news, there’s a resurgence in independent bookstores(opens in new window). This reflects a growing preference by European consumers who are rediscovering the joy and appeal of print, searching for connection and authenticity in their reading preferences.