The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has released its latest report on the reading habits of our fellow Americans. The report titled “Reading on the Rise : A New Chapter in American Literacy” shows that “for the first time in over a quarter-century…literary reading has risen among adult Americans. After decades of declining trends, there has been a decisive and unambiguous increase “among virtually every group measured in this comprehensive national
survey.”
Wow! At last some positive news for the book world. While no one can put a finger on exactly what has caused this reversal outgoing NEA chairman Dana Goia offered the Washington Post this explanation “Over the past six years there has been a new sense of urgency in the United States about the cultural disaster represented by the decline in reading…millions of teachers, librarians, parents, politicians and others put their energies into reversing the trend.”
Highlights:
40 percent of the overall growth in literary reading came from the 18-24 age range.
Reading among African Americans has grown at a 15 percent rate.
Since 2002, reading has increased at the sharpest rate (+20 percent) among
Hispanic Americans
Nearly half (47.0 percent) of all adults read fiction (a novel or short story) in 2008.
Though the news is refreshing and welcome there were still some gloomy undertones in the report.
Reading in poetry and drama continues to decline