Reading for pleasure continues downward spiral, study shows
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

A new study by the National Endowment for the Arts confirms what “popular wisdom” has held for years: People are reading for pleasure less than they did a generation ago. The report draws on a number of different studies that corroborate a declining readership in the United States, that fewer books being read for pleasure, and that book sales are declining. However, many educators feel people read just as much, but they are just seeking out other ways to get information besides books.

“To Read or Not To Read” was released on Nov. 19 and found that Americans are reading less, spending less money on books, and don’t read as well as the generation before them. People are also reading for shorter periods of time each day and the deficiencies are beginning to affect workplace performance.

Reading among teenagers declined sharply since 1984, with the number of non-reading 17-year-olds doubling over a 20-year period. The number of 13-year-olds who read voluntarily was down 14 percent over the same period. However, reading comprehension among 9-year-olds has jumped since the 1990s.

Educators and the publishing industries give mixed reasons for the changes, with the “Harry Potter” phenomenon generally credited with sparking interest in reading among youths. Adults are also enjoying the books, which might skew the sales of “young adult” books, a category which is considered the fastest-growing segment in book publishing.

The study also dispels the notion that bookworms are stuck in a chair all day, as the most voracious readers tend to be more active voters, more physically fit and more likely to engage or participate in cultural events.

Elementary school students are performing better in reading test scores, but various reports point to a drastic drop in reading skills when students hit high school.

John Blake, Watauga County Public Library director, said it’s difficult to pin down any local trends in reading habits because people have so many more outlets for reading material.

“The library is not any less busy than it was before and is actually busier,” Blake said. “I’ve noticed an increase in audiovisual materials. It may be that those people who were reading are now listening to books on tape. I’ve noticed an increase in use of electronic media.”

Blake said, “I’ve heard through many years of working in a library where they say people are reading less. I think people are so overwhelmed that they’re trying to get their information in bits and pieces, for example in more online news. And it’s typical that kids slow down when they get to the upper grades, but I do think a lot of them catch up when they get to college and start reading more.”

He also believes people are reading as much as ever, with the Internet being one of the major draws of the library. However, fewer students are using computers at the library because they likely now have their own home computer. Blake said circulation numbers for books fluctuate, but overall library traffic is increasing.

“I think more and more of the library as ‘community,’” Blake said. “The library is more of a common ground where everybody can go. We want to respond to people’s needs.”

Woody Trathen, Appalachian State University professor of language, reading, and exceptionalities, said the study has more to do with society and parental influence than the role of the education system.

“The main idea is that people aren’t reading as much or as frequently as they have in the past, and I agree with that,” Trathen said. “But I don’t think they make the case that people don’t read as well as they have in the past.”

Trathen said the group he works with, elementary school students, are showing marked improvements in reading, as indicated by the increase in reading scores among 9-year-olds.

Gary Childers served a 35-year career in education, including stints as a teacher and at three Watauga County schools, including the high school.

Currently he is a consultant with the state and is interim principal at Two Rivers Community School, the county's first charter school.

Childers said he hadn’t reviewed the study but said since the 1980s, the trend has been for people, including students, to get more information online. While that leads to less reading of printed matter, it doesn't necessarily mean that people are reading less.

In fact, Childers believes young people are probably getting more information from text sources than they ever have, given the advent of mobile messaging devices.

“Over the years, as I’ve taught and been a principal, we still have people who tend to be drawn to reading a book,” he said. “There have always been people who enjoy reading. If the skill of reading comes naturally and easily to someone, they are more likely to go to books for a richer and deeper experience.”

Alternatively, people who read less well may be more likely to seek information or entertainment from popular magazines, videos or online, and most people who seek out information on the Internet still would be reading large amounts of text.

Childers also said it’s natural for adolescents to be a little less likely to read than their younger counterparts.

“Children tend to be excited about learning,” he said. “But as they move into adolescence, 12 and 13, the material becomes more challenging and interests become more diverse. It becomes more of a challenge to engage them. You hope they read and enjoy it enough to read outside of school.”

Childers also noted that reading scores and writing tests are subjective, so it's difficult to measure and compare different age groups because the material gets more complex. Reading tests tend to measure the comprehension of data than true reading ability, Childers suggested.

To Read Or Not To Read
Americans are reading less - teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time compared with other age groups and with Americans of previous years.

Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from 20 years earlier.

Among 17-year-olds, the percentage of non-readers doubled over a 20-year period, from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004. On average, Americans ages 15 to 24 spend almost two hours a day watching TV, and only seven minutes of their daily leisure time on reading. Americans are reading less well; reading scores continue to worsen, especially among teenagers and young males.

By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved. Reading scores for 12th-grade readers fell significantly from 1992 to 2005, with the sharpest declines among lower-level readers.

2005 reading scores for male 12th-graders are 13 points lower than for female 12th-graders, and that gender gap has widened since 1992. Reading scores for American adults of almost all education levels have deteriorated, notably among the best-educated groups.

From 1992 to 2003, the percentage of adults with graduate school experience who were rated proficient in prose reading dropped by 10 points, a 20 percent rate of decline.

The declines in reading have civic, social, and economic implications; advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages.

Deficient readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas. Nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension "very important" for high school graduates.

Yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in this basic skill. American 15-year-olds ranked 15th in average reading scores for 31 industrialized nations, behind Poland, Korea, France and Canada, among others.

Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities, such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.

Source: National Endowment for the Arts