This summer, as various library association conventions and publishing events conducted panel discussions on the future of reading. The question each asked: Is reading doomed? Are we in a post-literacy era?
Clearly libraries and publishing houses care a lot about what they view as alarming statistics regarding reading in America.
Here are just two of them:
- 21% of American adults are functionally illiterate, and 54% read below a sixth-grade level according to the National Literacy Institute. These numbers reflect a steady decline in adult reading proficiency, alongside shifting habits in how the public consumes books.
- The “Zero Book” Trend: A recent Pew Research Center Survey found that 25% of U.S. adults did not read a single book (in any format) over the past year.
Is the Sky Falling?
One of the stories my mother read to me as a child was the fable of Chicken Little. If you aren’t familiar with it, you can read the story here.
But I’ll summarize it for those who want to skip all the details: An acorn fell on Chicken Little’s head, and she determined that the object was a piece of the sky. She ran off to tell anyone she could find about the dire situation: The sky was falling! Knowing they were doomed, they rushed off to tell the king. The fox, who immediately identifies this as false information, cleverly offers the birds safe haven in his den while he pretends to take the urgent message to the king. Chicken Little comes to her senses when she sneezes from all the dust in the den, and they escape a dire situation.
Are libraries and publishing spokespersons right to declare the reading sky is falling?
Examining the Literacy Statistics
As writers, we also care a lot if people are ignoring books. We value and love books. Most of us have TBR (to be read) stacks we might never conquer, especially because we keep adding to them. We’re always asking fellow readers what they’ve been reading, in hopes of finding our next satisfying book to read. Not to mention the obvious–we want people to keep reading so they’ll read the books we write!
The National Literacy Institute Numbers
Lots of statistics are available for us to consider for ourselves on their website (see link above). But here are a couple that aren’t being highlighted for us:
- On average, 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate in 2024.
- Globally, the overall literacy rate stands at a commendable level. For individuals aged 15 and above, the combined literacy rate for both genders is 86.3%. Males in this age group exhibit a literacy rate of 90%, with females closely trailing at 82.7%. Notably, substantial variations exist between countries. Developed nations consistently boast adult literacy rates of 96% or higher, while the least developed countries struggle with an average literacy rate of just 65%. Accurate cross-country comparisons of literacy rates face challenges due to two primary factors: irregular reporting practices among countries, and divergent definitions of what constitutes literacy.
- Sadly, the US ranks 36th in literacy. That certainly isn’t good. Interestingly, the website puts much blame on our educational system that lacks qualified teachers. I would add that I have to believe our country’s basic abandonment of teaching phonics in the 1980s until recently has done considerable damage to not only the ability to read but also to enjoy reading.
The Pew Survey
If you actually read the Pew Survey, you’ll find that the reports given by libraries and publishing houses focus on interpreting the statistics negatively. But the report is written from a positive perspective.
Here’s one portion of the report:
Overall, 75% of U.S. adults say they have read all or part of at least one book in the past 12 months.
And here’s another revelatory quote:
The overall share of Americans who have read a book in the past year has remained fairly stable since we first asked this question in 2011.
Rather than our taking up the mantra,”The sky is falling,” should we not rejoice that, despite all the other ways people could seek entertainment, books remain a staple?
For Every Trend, There’s a Counter-trend
I learned long ago that while a trend dominates people’s behavior for a segment of time, a counter-trend always rises up as a counterweight. For example, if people are mostly buying mass market books because they are the least expensive way to purchase a book, a counter-trend of beautifully-bound, expensive books will follow.
When the Keto diet became a trend, vegetarianism and vegan eating became more common. (See a 2023 report on these types of eating plans here, in which it is noted that, among Google searches from 2009-2014, they were among the five most popular.)
I’m sure there are exceptions to this rule, but I think, while reading habits reflect flat growth, people are finding new ways to consume books–and some of those are experiencing double-digit growth.
Is Reading Doomed? Not Yet.
I would remind all of us that physical books actually are quite popular among Gen Z and Millennial readers (61-80 percent). They are seeking breaks from screens, and books are perfect for that.They would rather read a physical book than a digital one any day. My 30something grandson and his wife both are readers. And they often request a book as a gift from me.
And then there are audiobooks, which continue to experience double digit growth for more than ten years straight. Spotify offering books to their music subscribers has been a huge success. And brought in sales for publishers and authors they wouldn’t have otherwise seen. It’s a new discoverability channel for authors. As one article noted, “Much of this growth is driven by users who were listening to an audiobook for the very first time.”
My three-year-old great grandson ADORES his Yoto, which reads children’s books to him with no screen involved. With a 70% retention of subscribers, who remain with Yoto for years, the numbers demonstrate that children and their parents love consuming books in this way.
Consuming of books can take many forms.
“The sky is falling” mentality set in strongly when families bought their first TVs in the 1950s; it meant the death of the radio! Nope. Radio still is with us. Then there was the prophesied death of the physical book when Kindle came on the scene. Nope. Paper books remain the most popular way to read.
None of that happened. As humans, we have the capacity to absorb new ways to access media without losing any of the old ways.
That doesn’t mean reading is in perfect health. But it does mean books are not dodo birds. Nor is the sky falling.
Relax, any Chicken Littles out there.
Chicken Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay