Why don’t people read anymore? This question has been on my mind, especially following a recent conversation with my family about how many books they’ve read in the past year. Now, my family members are typically bookworms. My mother is a librarian, for crying out loud, so you’d expect those numbers to be high. Nay, my friend. Except for my wonderfully brainiac cousin, the numbers were dismally low. Like, 0, 1, or just half of a book.
In my case, reading is integral to my work as a historian. I read books, articles, and primary sources on the daily to conduct research and run this blog. If you haven’t noticed, almost every post has a bibliography because I always cite my damn sources. I do my homework. Additionally, I’m a professional archivist and librarian, so reading is baked into my job. But, on top of all of this, I also read for pleasure. So, the state of reading in the United States concerns me. I wanted to look deeper into it and find out why people don’t read anymore.
The Statistics
Other than anecdotally, how do we know that people are reading less? The stats, baby. The stats.
Surveys by Gallup, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US Education Department, and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) have all shown Americans are reading less than ever before.
A 2022 Gallup survey reveals that Americans are reading fewer books a year than they did between 2001 and 2016. It’s important to note, however, “the decline in book reading is mostly a function of how many books readers are reading, as opposed to fewer Americans reading any books.” The statistic of Americans who didn’t read any books in 2022 is similar to 2002–2016.1
Additional studies include the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, the NEA’s 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), and the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics’ NAEP Long-term Trend Assessment Results: Reading and Mathematics.
All the stats indicate this decline in reading is fairly recent. By nature of the data, we can infer there was a time in recent memory when reading was popular. Let’s revisit that time for a hot second.
Trip Down Memory Lane
I developed my love of reading as a child. Sure, I’m the daughter of a librarian, but it’s more than that. Reading was highly promoted back in the day, especially in the 90s. In an interview with NPR’s Brittany Luse, Abdullah Shihipar, Research Associate at the People, Place and Health Collective at Brown University, noted that society previously promoted reading in children’s entertainment. Who remembers the Reading Rainbow? Or the kickass library card song from Arthur? These shows taught us that reading was cool.2
For my kindred millennials out there, close your eyes and pluck this memory from your brain’s archive. You’re in elementary school, and the Scholastic Book Fair has come to town. All year, you’ve been ordering books on the Scholastic fliers, but now, you get to browse in person. You’ve got 5 bucks, maybe 10, and you’ve got to make a choice. What’ll it be? Will you choose the latest Goosebumps book? How about Animorphs? Or a compendium of dinosaurs? The possibilities are endless, and you quake with excitement.
Don’t lie to yourself, you loved that shit. But where is this love for books now, I ask?
Why We Should Read
Before we delve into the reasons why people don’t read, let’s talk about why we should read.
According to Elaine Castillo, author of How to Read Now, reading allows us to think critically, reflect, and grapple with challenging concepts. It’s restorative, fun, and imaginative. It has the power to change our perspective and give us glimpses of joy and hope, so we know the world isn’t completely lost to shit.3
It can reduce mental health issues, keep our minds sharp as we grow and age, and overall, it’s good for our brains.
Reading also has the capacity to change us for the better. How many of you have read a book that really mattered to you, that was so profound, or sad, or joyous, that it sparked a change in who you are, and who you want to be? That’s what reading is all about.
So, if reading is such a kick-ass activity, why don’t people read anymore?
Why People Don’t Read & How to Pick up a Damn Book
1. Reading Isn’t Cool Anymore
As previously mentioned, reading used to be cool back in the day, but now? Not so much. Unlike the 90s, today’s world doesn’t promote reading in children’s entertainment. Gone are the days of Wishbone the dog teaching children classic literature.
A love of reading doesn’t always have to start in childhood, but it probably helps. Children who fall in love with reading typically become adults who continue to read throughout their lives.
PBS was a major outlet promoting literacy among children, but as you may know, that’s all gone to hell in a handbasket. Thanks to a recent Congressional vote, $1.1 billion of funding has been cut from public broadcasting, including PBS.
The result? Children who don’t read become adults who don’t read…or can’t read because they lack literacy skills.
2. Literacy Levels
While the recent decline revealed by the aforementioned surveys has been among readers who used to read more books in the past, we have to talk about literacy levels in general, because they absolutely play a role in why people don’t read.
You’ve probably heard the stat that half of Americans read below a 6th-grade level. That’s true, folks. It comes from a 2020 Gallup analysis, which drew its conclusion from U.S. Department of Education data. The data reveals that “roughly half of U.S. adults, aged 16 to 74 years old—54% or 130 million people—lack literacy proficiency.”4
In addition to low literacy levels, 21% of adults in the United States are illiterate or functionally illiterate, which translates to about 43 million people.5
How is this possible? How have we failed all of these people? Well, Abdullah Shihipar notes that the United States’ public school system is a main culprit because it’s incredibly underinvested. The United States government and society in general need to invest more in our education system and promote literacy.
My Experience as an Academic Librarian
I’ve experienced firsthand the low literacy levels in adults as an academic librarian in a college. College students’ inability to comprehend texts and write research papers is alarming. Their information literacy skills are also seriously lacking. It’s challenging to assist them because I often have to wind it back to teach them basic skills before we can even get to research skills. They should’ve learned these preliminary skills in elementary, middle, and high school, yet somehow, they didn’t. It’s disheartening to see college students who cannot navigate a book or an academic library catalog. You’d think they’d have the technical skills to at least keyword-search for information and find an article in a database, but… no.
Students Don’t Know How to Use Books
What’s even more dismal is their fear of physical books. When asking for research help, students prefer digital articles because they think they’ll be easier and shorter to read. Whenever I suggest a book—because it’s often the best option for certain topics—they have a visceral reaction, and immediately say, “nah… not a book.” I proceed to explain that if you’re writing a paper on the causes of the Mexican Revolution, it would be better to get a book on the topic and just read the first chapter rather than getting a peer-reviewed scholarly article that’s 40 pages long and full of jargon you don’t understand. When I tell them they don’t have to read the whole book, just the part relevant to their research, they’re in awe. I’m generalizing, of course, but it’s a trend I’ve noticed on the job.
I’ve also come across students who don’t know how to use a book. They don’t know how to look at the table of contents, and they have no idea what an index is. After explaining how an index functions to one student, he exclaimed it was like a cheat code to a video game. It’s scary out there, my friends. We’ve failed them.
The Power of Literacy
Elaine Castillo makes a brilliant point when she says literacy is power. For centuries, those in control consistently deemed literacy dangerous because it allowed for critical thinking. Reading allows you to understand the world you live in. It allows you to imagine other people’s lives and, therefore, be more sympathetic. If you can imagine what someone else’s life is like, you can imagine your own life differently from how you currently live it. That is powerful stuff because it ultimately leads you to imagine a different world.6
Give the plebs literacy lessons, and they’ll start thinking about how shitty life is and rise against the rich and powerful. Take that away, and they lose the capacity for analyzing the world’s ills and for imagining change. This is a scary outcome when people don’t read.
3. Social Media & Screens
While the first two reasons why people don’t read anymore are systemic, let’s talk about a few that are more individualized and have some practical applications you can put into use.
One of the main culprits of reading’s recent decline is the ubiquity of the smartphone and social media. With everyone on their phones at all times, scrolling away into oblivion, it’s no surprise that Oxford’s Word of the Year in 2024 was brain rot. Damn.
Doomscrolling has become America’s number one pastime and does absolutely nothing for your brain. Don’t feel bad, though. You don’t get caught up in endless scrolling because you’re lazy or have no willpower. It’s because the tech companies have created features on your phone and social media that keep you coming back. You’re addicted.
Ditching Your Smartphone
I talk more about how this nationwide addiction was specifically engineered, as well as how to break the cycle, in my post, How to Ditch Your Smartphone like a Bad Boyfriend. While the problem is systemic, it can be tackled on an individual level.
It may come as no surprise to you that the time spent on your phone has replaced the time you could be reading. Prolonged phone use also mentally fucks you up because it tires your brain, hurts your eyes, shortens your attention span, makes you sad, depressed, angry, and has you feeling like a sack of potatoes. How could you possibly read a life-changing book in that state?
I’m not suggesting you completely ditch your phone, but rather, use it wisely and not fall into the traps laid out to keep you addicted. I, too, was on my phone for unhealthy lengths of time until I noticed my attention span plummeting and affecting my reading habits. I couldn’t get through a chapter without becoming distracted, and I was in despair! But I ditched my smartphone because it was making me stupid, and you can, too.
4. AI Reads it For Me
AI is taking over, and not in a good way. It boggles my mind that people use AI to read and write for them. The ability to read and gain understanding from texts, as well as to express yourself through writing, is a human trait. Asking a machine to read a book and tell you about it deprives you of the restorative and joyful aspects of reading. A machine summary of a book leaves behind the author’s thoughtful, beautiful prose. It deprives the reader of a carefully crafted narrative, with plot points unfolding in delightful and surprising ways. It’s a cold way to experience a story that’s meant to envelop you.
Relying on AI to read diminishes your comprehension skills. Relying on AI to write also hinders cognitive ability and expression. We’ll soon see people unable to string together a cohesive sentence, if it’s not happening already. Writing is hard work and takes practice. I don’t pretend to excel at it, but I do enjoy it, and as any writer will tell you, the way to improve your writing is by actually writing.
In my opinion, I’d rather AI do the things I don’t take pleasure in so I can pursue my human creative activities. Hey tech companies—have AI do my fucking dishes, not read or write for me.
So, if perhaps you’ve used ChatGPT to summarize that latest Stephen King novel for you, how about showing the Master of Horror some love by reading his book yourself?
5. I’m Too Busy
A common excuse for people who don’t read is, “I’m too busy.” Well, I call bullshit. You can find the time to read, let’s be real.
Here’s an exercise. The next time you get on your phone to just check one thing, time yourself. Do you find that you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole, and it’s 20 minutes later? 30 minutes later? An hour? Well, my friend, you could’ve used those 20, 30, or 60 minutes to read a book.
You honestly don’t even need to set aside that much time to read. Plan on 20 minutes a day. Or do 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. Whatever works for you. Don’t give yourself a page count to hit; just read for the allotted amount of time. Cut one of your scrolling sessions short to get in the 20 minutes or watch one less YouTube video a day. That’s all it takes to get started.
Finding Time to Read
You can also find inventive places to read. Do you commute to work on a bus or train? Grab a book for the ride. In just 15+ years since I started commuting to work, the landscape of rush-hour subway activity has drastically changed. 15 years ago, there were tons of folks like me who’d read books on the train, or even newspapers and magazines. Remember those free dailies you’d grab as you ran down the station steps to the platform?
Now, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a book on the train, as most people are scrolling on their phones. Claim back your commute and read.
How about reading on your lunch break? When you finish that PB&J sandwich or Chipotle bowl, can you spare 10 minutes to read a few pages? Instead of whipping out your phone, whip out a book.
You can also read when you go to the bathroom at home. You know what I mean. Not to be gross, but when you’re sitting on the bowl, grab a book or magazine. Remember the days of yore when people had magazines and other reading material in their bathrooms? Let’s bring that back. But remember to wash your hands.
6. Books Are Expensive
Another reason folks claim they don’t read anymore is that books can be expensive. I feel you, that’s true, but let me introduce you to the public library! It’s a wonderful thing, the public library. And best of all, it’s free. Whether you like physical books, e-books, or audiobooks, the library has ‘em. Studies show that physical books are better media for reading than electronic ones, but you do you.
Head over to your public library and get yourself a library card. It’s free!
If your library doesn’t have a specific title on its shelves, ask the librarian to assist. Most libraries either belong to a larger network or do interlibrary loan, so they can often borrow it from another library on your behalf. The library has so many resources to aid you in your reading journey.
7. I Don’t Know What to Read
Some people don’t read because they don’t know what to read. If not knowing what to read has held you back, there are many solutions. Firstly, in a shameless plug, you can find your next read with Totally Historic’s book lists. Or, you could be a total badass and select one of the banned books listed in my post, Fight For Your Right to Read: 50 Banned Books. In addition to my site, there are countless blogs and websites devoted to book recommendations. Goodreads is a big one, and they have book lists and reviews by subject, author, genre, you name it.
Your local librarian is another wonderful resource. Public libraries practice something called reader’s advisory, which is exactly what it sounds like. Librarians assist you in selecting books based on your interests.
Another avenue to explore is book clubs. They are everywhere, with some in-person and others being completely digital. The beauty of a book club is that the group as a whole decides what you’ll be reading, so if you’re truly stumped, give it a try.
Not knowing what to read isn’t a problem; it’s an opportunity. Whether you’re into history, fiction, the classics, romance, or sci-fi, there’s a book out there for everyone.
8. Can’t I Just Watch the Movie?
No, you cannot just watch the movie. Read the damn book!
All kidding aside, if a book has been made into a movie that you want to see, try reading the book first. If the movie’s trailer has grabbed you because of a kick-ass storyline or cool characters, first go to the source material—the book. You’ll hear bookworms say all the time that the book is better than the movie, and while this isn’t always the case, most of the time, it’s true.
How about this…let’s compromise. You can watch the movie. After you’ve read the book.
Are you sad at the state of reading in the United States? Do you have additional suggestions to help people read again? If so, drop your opinions and suggestions in the comments.
Footnotes
- Jones, “Americans Reading.” ↩︎
- Shihipar, It’s Been a Minute. ↩︎
- Castillo, It’s Been a Minute. ↩︎
- Rothwell and Gallup, Assessing the Economic Gains. ↩︎
- U.S. Department of Education NCES, Data Point. ↩︎
- Castillo, It’s Been a Minute. ↩︎
Bibliography & Further Reading
*Several of the following links are Amazon affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no cost to you.
Castillo, Elaine. How to Read Now: Essays. Viking, 2022.
It’s Been a Minute with Brittany Luse. “Books vs. Brain Rot: Why It’s so Hard to Read.” Hosted by Brittany Luse. Interview with Elaine Castillo and Abdullah Shihipar. Aired February 3, 2025, on NPR.
Jones, Jeffery M. “Americans Reading Fewer Books Than in Past.” Gallup. Last modified January 10, 2022.
Newport, Cal. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. Portfolio/Penguin, 2019.
Oxford University Press. “Oxford Word of the Year.” Last modified 2024.
Rothwell, Jonathan, and Gallup. Assessing the Economic Gains of Eradicating Illiteracy Nationally and Regionally in the United States. September 8, 2020.
U.S. Department of Education NCES. Data Point: Adult Literacy in the United States. By Saida Mamedova and Emily Pawlowski. July 2019.
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