In reversal of decads-long trend, NEA study says reading rebounding
The February 1st issue of Library Journal shares good news about the reading habits of Americans.
“According to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), literary reading, defined as ‘novels, short stories, poems, or plays in print or online,’ has gone up after declining steadily since 1982, when the NEA first began its survey. The jump is only 3.5% overall-from 46.7% to 50.2%--but the implications are huge. Until now, the youngest adults, those 18-24-years old, appeared to be giving up reading in droves for other pastimes….Now 51.2% say they have read a novel, or other literature, in the past 12 months, compared to 42.8% in 2002. ”
Library Journal Editorial: http://tinyurl.com/neareadingstudy08
NEA Report Findings: http://www.arts.gov/research/ReadingonRise.pdf