Reading for personal interest continues to decline as a leisure activity. The percentage of Americans who read on an average day fell from 24.9 percent in 2007 (prior to the Great Recession and before smartphones became a thing) to just 17.5 percent in 2018. During those years, the number of people who read for personal interest on an average day fell from 57 million to 46 million—a loss of more than 10 million daily participants despite a growing U.S. population.
Percent reading for personal interest on an average day, 2018 (and 2007)
Aged 15 to 19: 8.3% ( 9.4%)
Aged 20 to 24: 6.9% ( 9.0%)
Aged 25 to 34: 8.4% (13.3%)
Aged 35 to 44: 13.3% (18.6%)
Aged 45 to 54: 13.6% (27.5%)
Aged 55 to 64: 21.4% (35.4%)
Aged 65-plus: 36.9% (50.3%)
While the lure of the smartphone screen and video gaming are the probable reasons for the reading decline among younger adults, television is the likely culprit among people aged 65 or older. The amount of time people aged 65-plus watch television on an average day grew from 3.98 to 4.51 hours between 2007 and 2018.
Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2018 American Time Use Survey
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