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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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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See all 157 CommentsHowever, if this study did not take into account the various learning disabilities that children and adults have, then this study may not be very accurate. Of those who have one or more learning disabilities, reading a book would be far more of a challenge and far less enjoyable than for people who do not have a learning disability. (ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, etc.)
I have one of those learning disabilities, therefore, I hate to read (a whole book), though articles and periodicals of about 10 pages or less are not a problem. I frequently listen to audio books in my car.
So with that being said, is there really anything to be alarmed about? If people get their information in different forms, other than a book, wouldn''t that be just as good? Yes.
It''s not how one obtains information that''s important. It''s how one retains the information that IS important.
They don''t mention the internet. I spend a lot more time reading now than i did 10 years ago before the computer. This article for example wouldn''t have been even considered if I saw a magazine with it as a headline in the supermarket or library.
Another thing they didn''t mention is that those role playing games for Nintendo and Wii often have long stories that go with them all in writing. My 14-year-old son reads every word in order to get a good background and play the games well.
datz tru butt wat kinda stuf yu bin reedin on dis kompootr ?i seen lots uv bad riteing an gramer in my kompootr
Me? I quit school when I was 16.
Remember that billboard?
LOL. The fact is, there are children who have been brought up to read and value the written word and those who have not. Book reports are necessary to ensure children actually do read, comprehend and can articulate the import of the books assigned. Most classes allow children to choose books of their choice. The sad reality is that many kids and adults do not read anymore. Discounting newspapers and magazines, studies have shown year after year that Americans barely own any books, rarely read the classics, and have a reading level that fluctuates between 4th and 6th grade reading level.
News articles are dumbed down, vocabulary is very low, and with the advent of text msg. and sound bites many people no longer have the stamina, inclination or intellect to ponder or even enjoy books.
Those who hate to read, simply don''t want to use any other part of their minds that require deep thinking and analysis. They want surface information and stimulation. All my children, myself and my husband are very strong readers--with the exception of 1. That 1 is a punk rocker, is the only college drop out I have so far...and I believe the only reason he does not read or like reading that much is due to him not being raised by me. (stepson). People are trained to read, then encouraged to continue--best done by example.
Retention means nothing, if not used correctly.
It is how one uses and conveys information that is important. People who don''t read, also cannot compose coherent or grammatically correct sentences, have a poor grasp of vocabulary, and write and communicate poorly as their repertoire of vocal expression and description is limited. Reading is by extension a conveyance of communication. To give an example of how poorly a nonreader can operate--look at our President. His use of words, and the way he communicates indicates a lazy mind and poor manners. Not being a reader can hurt you as it can limit your outlook and influence how others see you. The nuances and double entendres and innuendos of life can rarely be conveyed in art form or on a screen, some ideas are too indepth and abstract to be articulated except through words. Those who do not read are often perceived as shallow and superficial.
This is not an anomaly, by failing to use the aspects of their brain that are required in reading and comprehending, they truly are only using very small areas of their brain mass.
Posted by itgrammy at 06:59 AM : Nov 19, 2007
Truly reading is not about reading instructions to play games --such information would be repetitive as it would give descriptions, powers, point info, etc. That is not really reading. Nor is reading a few articles on the internet. Truly reading means to sit down with a book or novel that expound and expands on ideas. This in turn, should spark ideas and analysis within the reader. When tallying nonreaders vs readers, those who read only news papers and magazines are not considered readers. Rather, they are assimilators of information. To truly be a reader is to transcend regurgitated information and enter into an entirely different millieu. Once there new takes on relationships, worlds, ideas and events not only open the mind of the reader but also help to improve their vocabulary, grammar and outlook on life ---as information never considered or imagined is shared.
One deleterious POINT of all the nonreading is that our language is being destroyed and many words are becoming archaic due to nonuse and misuse. Two that come to mind are the words: Scintillating and titillating.
After playing on the internet, I read at least 100 to 250 pages a night. Usually, I read reference and nonfiction for about 2 hours a day, then another hour reading fluff such as Sci Fi books or philosophy. My children stick mostly to fiction. I remember how shocked my daughters teacher was in 8th grade, when she found out my daughters book of choice for a reading assignment was "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Exodus". For that same class, my son read the "Dune" series by Frank Herbert. None of these books were on the schools reading lists. the first was considered for Highschoolers or beyond, and Herbert and Uris''s works were considered college level. Reading expands the mind. Not the reading of fluff or opinions that are in news and entertainment, truly reading--where there is a plot, characters, central ideas, protagonists and antagonists. THAT is when epiphanies occur. I remember a neighbor coming by to visit and saying "Wow! you have a lot of books! You just don''t see that anymore" LOL (We have shelves of books in EVERY room and a full library of over 3K books in our basement) He said it as if I had an antique car or something.
Posted by perm3800 at 08:55 AM : Nov 19, 2007
I totally agree with you about the mistakes in books. It used to be, that those very mistakes indicated which edition of a book was published and certain mistakes in older books are worth a lot of money, especially in modern firsts (3 to 4,000.00 for a period in the wrong place).
On the subject of new books being published, we should not negate older books written at the first half of the 20th century and if an antiquarian, books that can be 2 to 500 years old. Some of the stories are very interesting and in the case of many classics and modern classics, a truly good book will transcend the age in which it was written. It is said that if a person was to read 10 books every day of their lives from the time they were 6 to 100, they could not read all of the great books out there. I don''t think it is a matter availability. A lot of people don''t want to read anything that is not short and does not have a lot of pictures.
"...books that can be 200 to 500 years old. Some of the stories are very interesting and in the case of many classics and modern classics, a truly good book will transcend the age in which it was written..."
I find it disheartening that reading prowess is compared to sales. I don''t think they necessarily go together. Many huge readers do not buy books retail, instead going to the library or buying books at yard sales or at discounters. Every week when I was a kid, I would go to the library and check out at least the limit for my age. this means I would read 10 to 20 books a week. My reading would not have shown up on their spread sheet, because I spent little to money to do it.
www.poconocommunitynews.com
One thing frightening about not reading: one can see from the ''reality'' television how our youth are sinking into shallow, mindless, ignorance...We are entering a new dark ages with the only things of interest to our youth being the opposite ***''s goodies and how many people they can stab in the back in order to get money.
I feel sorry for anyone who hasn%u2019t developed a love for reading; it is the best escape from reality I know of. It cures insomnia, acts as a pain killer, converts any situation in which you have to wait into an opportunity for escape into a good story, thus it''s an effective cure for impatience.
I got a real kick out of hearing the same opinion from elementary aged kids when asked about the latest multi-million dollar Harry Potter movie production: "It wasn%u2019t as good as the book".
That%u2019s the smartest thing I%u2019ve ever heard a kid say.
"I guess we''''re that group of Americans who is still reading!"
Thanks for the great laugh ... :-)
Unless you were serious, then I am really sad (better buy a grammar); either that or Bush is your best friend ...
it appears the "Church" is still at it, this time it is the internet and tv. "keep them ignorant so they can be manipulated......" People believe the stuff they see on tv or hear on the radio and THINK they are informed---they cannot imagine that those who feed them have a hidden agenda and it is not in theirs or the country''s best interest.
Posted by Expatriate07 at 09:55 AM : Nov 19, 2007
Assimilating information is not reading. It is processing. Garbage in---garbage out. Actual reading fosters cognitive thought and critical analysis not consensus or trivial debate. When people read on the internet, mostly what is available are not springboards to thinking, it is just info to converse with. Unfortunately, like minds tend to converse so there is little intellectual growth.
www.poconocommunitynews.com
I disagree. Not with the studies part, the new part: People are ignorant now. Not of events, but they lack the ability to discern or think. Often, they take what is told to them by corporations, the media and the government at face value--simply because they do not read and therefore have no clue.
For instance, how many Americans applaud us giving Iraq democracy? Many do not know that it is deemed impossible to have a democracy under a foreign occupation. Because a democracy beens of, by and for the people--but in an occupation, a country must obey their new masters NOT their public. This point alone if understood would show the government in Iraq to be a sham and our premise for being there a lie. Al Maliki was never elected. He was appointed one year later. Before the elections Bush issued an ultimatum: "The US will not leave before Democratic elections are held" having them was a mandate to our leaving, or at least that is what we told the Iraqis.
Since 2003, over 80% of Iraqis have wanted us to leave their country. THAT is the will of the people. But they have no voice.
Al Maliki (a collaborator) decides along with Bush. (like Hitler and the French Vichhy gov). Maliki is also allowed to pretend he is independent and blusters, only to do what we want in the end. The only thing he cannot do, is force all of the government to ratify our wish for 30 year oil leases and profit sharing. But if people read, they would have seen the correlation between our actions now and similar actions in the past. From the Homeland Security dept. to approving of torture and granting immunity of war crimes--it has all been done in the past. Hitler did it--and at the time, most Germans fervently believed in what Hitlers justifications for all that went on. Same road, different travelers. Reading is not just for pleasure, it aids in discerning the nuances and hidden agendas in a complex world as examples are shown in literary form and life often imitates art.
I couldn''t agree more!
Not that it is NOT fun, but in the true context of building one''''s intellect and empathy--magazines, newspapers and the internet make a poor substitute. None encourage thinking, just processing. That is very different.
That was a big argument I had on the internet once with a lady named Bunny. That was her main point: That life doesn''t imitate art. Or shouldn''t. I never knew understood what she was talking about. Kinda like that lady who thought she was in charge of the separation of church and state. "Cause and Effect" she kept saying. My iq just doesn''t understand that stuff..
Study: Americans Reading A Lot Less
Between the internet, satellite / cable TV, video games, and I-phone
not exactly a "Pew"litzer prize winning article.
DUH
The point of "life imitates art" is often quoted because the imagination is often the Springboard for inventions and events. For instance, long before there were submarines and the ability to live under the ocean waters, Jules Verne created his book about "20K Leagues under the sea" Other books about "flying machines" led people to explore building cars and Sci Fi has often been prescient in what eventually the Space program comes up with.
Also, when a writer tells a story, often others will try to recreate that story in real life, such as doing the same kind of murders or capers in crime. Here is one for you: In about 1997 there was a movie called "The Long Kiss Goodnight" the plot of the movie was that the government created a catastrophe and planted Muslims in it so they would be blamed. it was a spy thriller in which the CIA wanted justification for starting a war and getting more money so they created a "pearl harbor like event" hoped to blame Muslims, start a big mess and from that gain money and take over control of America. The point is--when 9/11 hit, it was a lot like this movie, from cover ups to the lies, justifications, etc. When you realize that the movie preceded the actual events--then the events become suspect. Either someone got a good idea from the event or it was just an amazing coincidence. Either way, life has just imitated art.
Other books about "flying machines" AND MOVING CONTRAPTIONS led people to explore building cars AND PLANES and Sci Fi has often been prescient in what eventually the Space program comes up with.
Posted by Displeased at 11:02 AM : Nov 19, 2007
Ever get to a part in a novel or book in which the information is so shocking or revelatory or funny that you pause...maybe hold your breath and have to read it again and again? Imagine someone pausing on a treadmill --they get to the good part, stop walking as they give those words their utmost attention----and go flying off. If there is one place where fluff is not a bad idea, it is a place where the main focus is not exercising the brain but the body. Other places not to read, while jogging, while driving, while performing operations, while cooking (unless truly skilled) while making love (big turn off). There is a place for everything! LOL'' I usually read a bit prior to going to bed and while I am in the tub....
Posted by onsteroids1 at 10:53 AM : Nov 19, 2007
Sorry, Donnie, didn''t recognize your latest name change. LOL
I believe this phenomena is partly responsible for the popularity of the Republican Party the last 7 years.
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