Poll: One in four adults read no books last year
Although this story came out almost a year ago, it still frustrates me as a librarian and as a literate human being. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll was released back in August 2007 which detailed the reading habits of those they surveyed. Below is an excerpt from an MSNBC article about this poll:
One in four adults read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.
The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn’t read any, the usual number read was seven.
It seems as though this poll only counted actual paper books and not audio or online books. So, I wonder how that would then change the numbers. Even so, I still find these poll results disconcerting. The typical person read four books last year? I think I average at least four books a MONTH. It’s easy to blame technology for the lack of reading, but I think the Internet has actually helped me to read more print materials. I have better access to reviews and releases which in turn makes me then seek out those books to read. I’m torn, though. I find “chick lit” books repulsive, but many people read them. Is it better to have people reading, even if it’s drivel? An Oprah pick sells millions. But, are people reading it because they want to, or because Oprah told them to? At the risk of sounding hypocritical, I think blogs have changed the writers market and thus as a result, books have suffered. Technology has enabled writers to self-publish in ways much easier than in the past. Readers find blogs and RSS feeds easier to read than carrying a book. Publishing companies still have to churn out works, so does this mean that the quality and variety has dwindled? That the typical reader, as interviewed by this poll, only reads four books a year because that’s all they can find that interests them? I’m not sure what the answer is here, but I have some opinions — obviously. I personally love the smell and touch of a new paperback book. Go ahead, smell a new book. Feel the crisp pages just aching to be read. Let’s put a bell curve in this poll…read books!