The number of adult Americans reading rose to 119 million in 2008, compared to 115.5 million in 2002, according to Reading on the Rise, the latest survey sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The population increased by 19 million during that span, however, putting the percentage of Americans who read any book in 2008 at 54.3%, down from 56.6% in 2002.
The percentage of Americans who engaged in literary reading (defined for the survey as novels and short stories, plays or poems)—the statistic NEA chairman Dana Gioia chose to highlight—rose significantly between 2002 and 2008, hitting 112.8 million, a gain of 16.6 million. The increase put the percentage of adult Americans who did any literary reading at 50.2%, a significant improvement over the 46.7% a 2002 survey found—a statistic that was highlighted in the NEA's 2004 Reading at Risk report since it represented a steep decline from the 54% in 1992. Gioia used the results of the 2004 Reading at Risk to launch a series of initiatives to increase literary reading, including the Big Read program. He credits those efforts, at least in part, for helping to reverse the slide in literary reading. While some industry members question how effective the Big Read is, Gioia did manage to start Big Read programs in nearly 500 communities and he was successful in using Reading at Risk to gain media attention about the decline of reading.
The newest report found that literary reading increased in all age groups, with the 18—24-year-old segment showing the greatest gains. Literary reading also increased among all races, with notable improvement among Hispanics and African-Americans. The proliferation of electronic devices and increased time with the Internet was seen as one reason for the decline in reading. But Reading on the Rise found that nearly 15% of U.S. adults read some form of literature online in 2008, and that 84% of those adults also read books, either in print or online. Reading preferences online conform to print favorites, with mysteries, thrillers and romance the most popular subjects.
| 2002 | 2008 | |
| Source: Reading on the Rise | ||
| All adults | 46.7% | 50.2% |
| 18—24 | 42.8 | 51.7 |
| 25—34 | 47.7 | 50.1 |
| 35—44 | 46.6 | 50.8 |
| 45—54 | 51.6 | 50.3 |
| 55—64 | 48.9 | 53.1 |
| 65—74 | 45.3 | 49.1 |
| 75+ | 36.7 | 42.3 |
| 2002 | 2008 | |
| Source: Reading on the Rise | ||
| All adults | 56.6% | 54.3% |
| 18-24 | 52.0 | 50.7 |
| 25-34 | 58.9 | 54.1 |
| 35-44 | 59.0 | 56.2 |
| 45-54 | 60.7 | 54.2 |
| 55-64 | 57.5 | 58.4 |
| 65-74 | 53.8 | 54.8 |
| 75+ | 44.3 | 47.4 |
| 2002 | 2008 | |
| Source: Reading on the Rise | ||
| All adults | 46.7% | 50.2% |
| Hispanic | 26.5 | 31.9 |
| White | 51.4 | 55.7 |
| African-American | 37.1 | 42.6 |
| Other | 43.7 | 43.9 |
