Saturday, February 01, 2014

What Does It Mean That 1 in 4 Adults Didn’t Read a Book Last Year?

book-shelves

• January 30, 2014 •

Pacific*Standard
(Photo: kennymatic/Flickr)


Those numbers sound way more alarming than they actually are. The bigger problem: the stagnant literacy rate.
Last week, the Pew Research Center released its survey on America’s reading habits. Depending on whom you asked, the survey either exposed the age of illiteracy or revealed the rise of the literati. Those tearing their tunics and pulling their hair bemoaned that 24 percent of adults did not read a single book last year; others sang praises to the heavens that 76 percent of adults still read books.

Almost three-quarters of American adults read at least one book, either print or electronic or audio, in the last year. The typical reader consumed five. E-books are on the rise; audio books are still popular; and even most of those who consume books in alternative formats continue to read printed books. Fifty percent of those surveyed have a tablet or e-reader and 92 percent have a mobile phone.
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