As a kid, I could reliably be found every day after school curled up with a book, usually “Harry Potter” or “Percy Jackson,” snacking on Goldfish or Welch’s Fruit Snacks.
Now, 10 years later, the amount of time I spend reading has noticeably decreased, as I’m usually slogging through textbooks for classes more than I get to read for pleasure. While I could just be more busy than when I was in elementary school, I’m not alone in this trend of reading less.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average people ages 15 and over read about 15 minutes every day. When broken down into age brackets, ages 15-24 and 65+ had the most leisure time and spent the most time reading in comparison to other age groups. But that isn’t how they spent the majority of their days — spending more than half of the day watching TV.
When the other age groups are brought into the statistics, on average, ages 15-65+ spent only 4.8% of their leisure time reading.
Other age groups also consistently spent a majority of their leisure time watching TV, a trend reflected in the UO community by students like Jake Murray.
“I’m definitely aware that I read less than I did when I was younger, and I’ve been trying to read more, but I feel like I never have time,” Murray said. “If I’m not doing schoolwork, I tend to prefer watching TV or going on my phone.”
Reading less doesn’t only impact how we spend our time, but also reading comprehension and functional literacy rates.
According to a study done by the National Institute of Health, the shift from books to screens has changed the way we remember information, especially in regards to cognitive offloading. Cognitive offloading is the act of reducing mental processing requirements of a task by relying on an outside source to remember or learn things, like using a calendar or taking notes.
By virtue of how the Internet functions, we don’t need to remember information to relay to others, like in human societies pre-screens, nor do we need to remember specifically what information is available.
While the Internet is a useful tool, it makes things like books obsolete — we can find information quicker and easier on the Internet than we can with a book. There also isn’t as much motivation to remember what we’ve read or even comprehend it well, should we choose to read a book, because we can find a summary and explanation on the Internet if necessary.
According to a survey from the National Center for Education Statistics, a federal agency under the Department of Education, literacy rates are declining among adults in the U.S.
In 2017, 19% of U.S. adults ranked at the lowest levels of literacy, and in 2023, 28% of adults ranked at the lowest levels. This is a trend seen in surveys from the National Institute of Health and other surveys from the National Center for Education Statistics like the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
It’s difficult to pinpoint why exactly people are reading less, but they are. Yet, there are still ways we can read more. Whether it’s being intentional about time to read, bringing a book wherever you go or joining a book club, there are steps people are taking to spend more time reading for fun.
“It’s hard for me to find time in the day to sit down with a book and read, so I love audiobooks. I can listen to them on the walk to class or while doing chores, which makes them pretty convenient for me,” Lily Brady, a UO student, said.
Although some studies suggest there are minor differences in reading comprehension between listening to an audiobook and reading a physical book, they aren’t significant enough if you’re reading casually. Humans have been telling stories by word of mouth far longer than printed stories, and some things are communicated better by being spoken, like sarcasm or tone.
People are reading less, and reading less leads to declines in related skills. While it may be tempting to pick up your phone and scroll on social media for hours after a long day of classes, try an opt for a snack and a good book, especially as the weather gets warmer.