Over One-Third of Americans Read More Than Ten Books in Typical Year

For years, people have been crying about the death of the book. While reading books may be declining, Americans are reading. Just one in ten (9%) say they typically read no books in an average year. About one-quarter (23%) read between 1 and 3 books, while one in five (19%) read between 4 and 6 books and 13 percent typically read between 7 and 10 books. And, over one-third (37%) of Americans say they read more then ten books in an average year.

There are certain groups who are more likely to read more than ten books in an average year. Looking at the generations, almost half (47%) of Matures (those aged 63 and older) say they read more than ten books compared to just one-third (33%) of Baby Boomers (those aged 44-62). Women are also more likely to read more than men – 44 percent of women read more than ten books a year compared to three in ten (29%) men. Candidates may not want to try books to reach their partisans, but they may be a good way to reach out to Independents. Just one-third of Republicans (33%) and Democrats (35%) say they read more than ten books in a year compared to 44 percent of Independents.

These are some of the results of a nationwide Harris Poll of 2,513 U.S. adults surveyed online between March 11 and 18, 2008 by Harris Interactive^®.

Book sellers may have something to worry about as one in five Americans (20%) say they have not purchased any books in the past year. About one-quarter (23%) purchased between 1 and 3 books, while just under one in five (18%) purchased between 4 and 6 books and 12 percent purchased between 6 and 10 books. Just over one-quarter (27%) of Americans say they purchased more than ten books in the past year. Women are more likely than men to have purchased over ten books (32% versus 22%). Also, while Matures may be the most likely to read more among the generations, they are also the most likely to say they have not purchased any books (24%) so they may be going to the library or swapping books more than other generations.

One reason for lack of reading is lack of time. Just under half (45%)of those who read at least one book a year say they have less time for reading books today than they did five years ago while one-third (33%) say they have about the same amount of time and one in five (22%) have more time. Perhaps not surprisingly, almost two in five Matures (38%) say they have more time for reading compared to over half (53%) of Echo Boomers (those aged 18-31) who say they have less time. Here we most likely see the difference about leaving the working world and just starting into it.

In looking at the different types of books people read, non-fiction and fiction are almost even (82% and 80% respectively). The largest single genre is mystery, thriller and crime (48% read) followed by history (35%), biographies (31%), religious and spirituality (28%) and literature (27%). Men and women have different tastes in the type of books they read. Women are more likely to read mysteries (57% versus 38%), religious books (32% versus 24%), and, perhaps not a surprise, romance novels (38% versus 3%). Men, on the other hand, are more likely to read history (44% versus 27%), science fiction (34% versus 18%) and political (22% versus 9%).

"How many books do you typically read in the average year?"

Base: All adults

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding

"How many books have you purchased in the past year?"

Base: All adults

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding

"Do you find you have less or more time for reading books today than you did 5 years ago?"

Base: Reads at least one book in average year

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding

"What types of books have you read in the past year?"

Base: Reads at least one book in average year

Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding

This Harris Poll^® was conducted online within the United States March 11 and 18, 2008, among 2,513 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

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Q705, 710, 715, 720