Reading Is On the Rise

A little good news for a change: According to a study released today by the National Endowment for the Arts and reported in today’s Washington Post, more Americans are actually reading.  And guess what they’re reading?  Fiction, according to the NEA.

And surprise, surprise! The study included “genre” fiction in what the NEA terms “literary reading.”

So the actual stats don’t sound that great. A small majority – 50.2% of Americans to be precise – are reading fiction today in comparison to the 46.7% reported in a 2002 NEA study. But there’s better news ahead: The most significant growth seems to be in the young adult category.

Hey, kids are reading! Reading is good!

The most popular genre today? The study says mysteries.

It’s a scary world when people don’t read. And, okay, so 54.3% of Americans out there report reading any book outside of work during the previous year is still disturbingly high, that’s still down from the 56.6% reported in 2002. I’ll take my good news where I can find it.

-Sandy AAR

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