NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2007
Study: Americans Reading A Lot Less
Reading Skills On The Decline Across Almost All Education Levels, Government Report Says
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A book – portable, no batteries required – is the downtime choice for this soldier at the U.S. military base in Charbaron, Afghanistan, Nov. 18, 2007. Many Americans, however, say reading is not on their list. (AP)
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Play CBS Video Video Reading Decline In Kids A new study released by the NEA indicates kids and teenagers aren't reading as much as they used to. Sunil Iyengar, Dir. of Research and Analysis, discusses the study and what parents can do to help.
Americans are reading a lot less.
That's according to a 99-page study, "To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consquence," released Monday by the National Endowment for the Arts as a follow-up to a 2004 NEA survey, "Reading at Risk," that found an increasing number of adult Americans were not even reading one book a year.
The new study examined data on everything from how many 9-year-olds read every day for "fun" (54 percent) to the percentage of high school graduates deemed by employers as "deficient" in writing in English (72 percent).
"I've done a lot of work in statistics in my career and I've never seen a situation where so much data was pulled from so many places and absolutely everything is so consistent," NEA chairman Dana Gioia said.
The report by the NEA, a taxpayer-funded independent federal agency, is based on reading trends data collected from more than 40 sources, including other federal agencies, universities, foundations, and associations.
Among the findings:
Some news is good, notably among 9-year-olds, whose reading comprehension scores have soared since the early 1990s.
But at the same time, the number of 17-year-olds who "never or hardly ever" read for pleasure has doubled, to 19 percent, and their comprehension scores have fallen.
"I think there's been an enormous investment in teaching kids to read in elementary school," Gioia said. "Kids are doing better at 9, and at 11. At 13, they're doing no worse, but then you see this catastrophic falloff. ... If kids are put into this electronic culture without any counterbalancing efforts, they will stop reading."
Publishers and booksellers have noted that teen fiction is a rapidly expanding category in an otherwise flat market, but the NEA's director of research, Sunil Iyengar, wondered how much of that growth has been caused by the Harry Potter books, the last of which came out in July.
"It's great that millions of kids are reading these long, intricate novels, but reading one such book every 18 months doesn't make up for daily reading," Gioia said.
Doug Whiteman, president of the Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA), said sales of teen books were the strongest part of his business. But he added that a couple of factors could explain why scores were dropping: Adults are also buying the Potter books, thus making the teen market seem bigger on paper, and some sales are for non-English language books.
"There are so many nuances," Whiteman said. "Reading scores don't necessarily have any relevance to today's sales."
The head of Simon & Schuster's children's publishing division, Rick Richter, saw another reason why sales could rise even as scores go down: A growing gap between those who read and those who do not. Richter considers it "very possible" that the market is driven by a relatively small number of young people who buy large numbers of books. Test scores, meanwhile, are lowered by the larger population of teens who do not read.
"A divide like that is really a cause for concern," Richter said.
The report emphasizes the social benefits of reading: "Literary readers" are more likely to exercise, visit art museums, keep up with current events, vote in presidential elections and perform volunteer work.
"This should explode the notion that reading is somehow a passive activity," Gioia said. "Reading creates people who are more active by any measure... People who don't read, who spend more of their time watching TV or on the Internet, playing video games, seem to be significantly more passive."
Gioia called the decline in reading "perhaps the most important socio-economic issue in the United States," and called for changes "in the way we're educating kids, especially in high school and college. We need to reconnect reading with pleasure and enlightenment."
"`To Read or Not to Read' suggests we are losing the majority of the new generation," Gioia said. "The majority of young Americans will not realize their individual, economic or social potential."
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- I read this on globalgrind.com....its really unfortunate not enough people are reading, there''s so much out there to learn.
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- RON PAUL WINS NATIONAL ZOGBY POLL
The results of a nationwide telephone poll, announced by Zogby on November 19th, reveals that a sizeable majority of Americans are looking to vote for a candidate who protects liberty; who wants to shrink government; and who wants to immediately withdraw our troops from Iraq - all positions taken by Texas Congressman Ron Paul. As part of a blind, spread poll commissioned by Jones Productions, respondents were provided with descriptions of four different candidates and asked to choose who they would vote for based on each one''s attributes and political platform. 32.8% of pollees chose Ron Paul, 18.6% chose Rudy Giuliani, 12.6% chose Fred Thompson, while only 15.1% chose Mitt Romney. The results clearly illustrate that the country is crying out for Ron Paul, which is why mainstream media has launched a PR offensive to marginalize his campaign accomplishments and suppress the Congressman''s name recognition. The sample used for the poll had mainly never or rarely used Web sites popular with Ron Paul supporters, such as You Tube, MySpace and Facebook, showing that if those types of Internet users had been more fairly represented, the numbers would be even more in favor of the Congressman. In a seperate question, over 49% of pollees said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who would begin an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Zogby indicated that, due to the high level of interest in the poll, they will be issuing a press release on Nov 20th. - Reply to this comment
- The song Make me wanna holler is the song that comes to mind. I am sure other persons wanna holler at that ron paul noise..GrammaWhamma is one..Yep..
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- NOT RON PAUL FANS...Mr.Gaye did an album what''s going On..if yer can find it listen to it..It was recorded in 71. The song
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- YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES
America is tipping back way too far in her easy chair. Something BIG is about to happen, and I predict this upcoming 2008 election will be extremely pivotal. I''m not going to name any candidates. You probably already know who my favorite is. But let me make my point absolutely clear: If you think times are boring, think again. If you think the future is predictable, think again. My advice to everyone who reads this is to be thoughtful. Trust only that wisdom which is your own. 90% of mainstream media in this country is controlled by fewer than 20 different organizations. Unfortunately, they, like our sold-out political ****** in Washington, were bought and paid for by the military industrial pharmacutical complex decades ago. Therefore, they will paint pictures they want to paint, and people will open their minds to pictures they want to see. So, be skeptical. Be wise. Research issues and talking points on your own, and share what you learn with those you love. The future of your family tree may lay in the balance. - Reply to this comment
- People..I can''t read that well and yet I do read every post with a hand magnifer.They would not properly school me and I am not the blame, I had to sit in classes that did not meet my sp needs. They did not have computer in my day. The law said I had to be in class even tho they failed to teach me . Don''t judge me. Word processer don''t work on this board. I had sighted persons yank my reading matter out of my paws and it was not their place to do so. It was large print book. I like Stephen King as I am from Maine but live in Seattle. Not every one is lucky to have a good education as today the blind are not taught as they don''t have the funds TO teach and don''t really want to. Yes there are persons who can''t read for one reason or another. BE THANKFUL BUT DON''T BELITTLE OTHERS. Yet this nation can go to war and the reading and schooling of some few fall thru the cracks as nobody cares. When a child is robbed of what most take for granted and never got the basics in the first place but trys.Spelling and grammar aside I have more resect for him/her over a smarty pants. Yer know what I mean. Not every one has a great command of english. What good is the word of yer can''t read that well or be able to see to read,. I can read best when it is simple .I was told a six grade reading level and I never went to grammer/jr high. Sp Ed. I did graduate high school. Reading is a must and on computer yer read. iT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF EVERY THING IS LARGE PRINT.
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- WERE HAVING A TEA PARTY! YOU''RE INVITED
As we all know, freedom isn''t free in this country. Therefore, in the wake of our successful fundraising event of November 5th, in which we all came together to raise $4.2 million dollars for Ron Paul''s campaign, we''ve set yet another date for an even bigger fundraiser. This one will take place during on December 16th: a very important date for people who love freedom and hate tyranny to ring the Liberty Bell, and let our sold-out, globalist, political ****** and their mainstream media enablers know that good Americans are mad as hell, and that we''re not going to take it anymore. December 16th is the 224th aniversary of The Boston Tea Party: an act of protest by the American colonists against the tyranny of Great Britain where the Sons of Liberty boarded British ships and dumped crates of tea overboard into Boston Harbor. It was a key event which helped to spark the American Revolution, and we hope this event will, likewise, add additional spark to our own 21st Century political revolution to restore peace, prosperity and freedom to our Republic by helping elect a President whose record of adherance to The Constitution is unmatched by anyone in American politics. Please join us this December 16th for the largest one-day political donation event in history. Our goal is to bring together 100,000 people to donate $100 each, creating a one day donation total of $10,000,000. The time to act is now. The time for Ron Paul is NOW! TeaParty07.com - Reply to this comment
- HOPE FOR AMERICA: PRESIDENT RON PAUL
-- No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
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-- No more North American Union (loss of U.S. sovereignty)
-- No more federal gun control laws
-- No more illegal aliens pouring-in over our country''s borders
-- No more illegal aliens allowed to roam freely in our streets
-- No more national ID cards (Real ID Act)
-- No more government invasion of your privacy
-- No more federal Laws which force you to take unwanted injections
-- No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
-- No more federal erosion of State sovereignty
-- No more unlimited federal government
They don''t call him "Dr. No" for no reason. The Doctor is in! Find-out what CBS hides from you, and join us in this 21st Century political revolution at ronpaul2008.com
"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
"Ron Paul doesn''t represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers."
- Me - Reply to this comment
- Usayesterday; You make some valid points in your 6:39 post. I wonder though if the decline in reading hasn''t occurred in part due to the lack of interesting publications over the past decade. Few people in the age profile mentioned would likely be interested in the plethora of self help books or political confessionals that have inundated the market.
I became an avid reader when Stephen King hit the market in the seventies. Sure they were far from great literary works but they did get me into the habit of reading for enjoyment. Once there, other reading interests open up. My comprehension as well as my vocabulary benefited from the start with King. Who wants to read political smear books or one of Ann Colters political flops?
If I were 18-24 again, (how I wish) not me. - Reply to this comment
- i have a list of 38 republican politicians that have been busted for fraud, obstruction of justice, bribery, perjury, prostitution, etc. since bush took office.
among them are congressman cunningham, senator vitter, vice prez aide libby...
anybody care to see the whole list?
republicans and family value christians...
what a laugh! - Reply to this comment
- CORRECTION: SORRY, AM TYPING TOO FAST AND DOING OTHER STUFF BESIDES POSTING SO NO PROOFING OF MY POSTS.
But yes--reading gaming manuals for pleasure does not count, nor does reading the back of CEREAL boxes or entertainment magazines.
Posted by b-easy63 at 04:46 PM : Nov 19, 2007 - Reply to this comment
- Learning to write well in this day and age requires a good word processor. Like most people who have a computer, they elect not to purchase one. :)
Posted by mitchoncbs at 03:13 PM : Nov 19, 2007
Actually, it requires a brain and the willingness to use it. It also requires enough self respect and patience to care about how, and what one writes. Those 4 things cost the earth, and yet they are free....and available to everyone who applies themselves. - Reply to this comment
- My son reads books but he also uses the PC more than me
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- Kick ''''bidness'''' out and start doing things the way they were done when American education was second to none.
Posted by Prinzowhales at 02:11 PM : Nov 19, 2007
Ahem. American education was NEVER second to none. Children in Europe always had a superior education to Americans, carried a much heavier load and were required to learn Latin, a foreign language (sometimes 2) and progress through Chemistry and Mathematics NOT as options but as a basic curriculum. What America had, was an education system that was more inclusive and was adequate for the needs of her country. If you truly believe American education ever outranked Europe, google any stats on Nations and education for the past 100 years. And note: Up until the early 1920s children routinely stopped schooling in America at the 6th grade or before. Only in the 1940s and 1950s was graduating from High school not an exception for most of the students. - Reply to this comment
- GrammaWhamma - what about eBooks, which can be obtained on the internet like everything else legible?
As for "instant gratification", who taught the kids to be that way? ADHD isn''t a panacea; sometimes environmental factors are involved. If the parents didn''t buy the xboxes, Microsoft would find a way to blame them too, no doubt. - Reply to this comment
- at my child''s school any prospective teacher has to take an evaluation for sexual orientation...
if a republican christian applies he has to take an additional evaluation by the p.t.a.
seems no one can trust those bush loving, pedophile, family value republican christians anymore.
ha,ha,ha. - Reply to this comment
- hats not Chinese. I learned a little Chinese working in a hotel as a security guard from the Chinese Janitor. "Lee ho ma" is Manderin fer "Hi, how are you?" And then ya say: "Oh ho", that means "ok".
Posted by onsteroids1 at 12:44 PM : Nov 19, 2007
It is Nee how ma or How boo how. Then you can answer with simply "How" Also shay shay nee--means thank you...I lived in Taiwan for 2 years as a child and part of living there was to be taught basic mandarin for 2 hours each week. - Reply to this comment
- I do expect them to watch the children while the children are at school. That is what they get PAID to do.
Posted by beckajw at 12:38 PM : Nov 19, 2007
Teachers are NOT glorified babysitters, they are paid to educate your child IF your child is capable and willing but they are NOT paid to babysit. If that is your true opinion of teachers, you need to procure a governess NOT a public teacher. Governess are paid to watch their charges as well as teach them, teachers are not paid to do what parents failed to do and try to use them for. - Reply to this comment
- Must have been paid for by the book industry. I bet reading those video game cheat manuels doesn''''t count as plessure reading either.
Posted by cbscrash07 at 12:28 PM : Nov 19, 2007
I think the article was at least influenced by the book industry because their bottom line is sales not literacy or acknowledging that many readers do not buy the books they read--they go to the library. But yes--reading gaming manuals for pleasure does not count, nor does reading the back of serial boxes or entertainment magazines. - Reply to this comment
- Today''s generation is one of instant gratification. It is so much easier to pop a movie into the DVD player and be done with it in under two hours then to sit down and read a 500 page book.
I would prefer to read the book because the book is 99% of the time better then the movie version.
I agree with the poster who said reading on the internet doesn''t count and neither does reading the directions for video games. - Reply to this comment
