According to the results of a survey held in the United States, the share of Americans who had read more than ** books in the last three months stood at **** percent in February 2024. However, **** percent had not any read any books in the three months running up to the survey.

During a survey held in early 2021, it was found that 83 percent of adults aged between 18 and 29 years old had read a book in any format in the previous year, up by two percent from the share who said the same in 2019. The survey results showed that adults within this age category were more likely than older respondents to have read a book within the last twelve months.

Book readers in the U.S.

While it is mostly believed that book reading is a vanishing pastime, particularly among Millennials, surveys among consumers in the U.S. have shown the opposite. The share of book readers in the U.S. has varied from 72 percent to 79 percent between 2011 and 2016.

In regards to age of book readers in the country, a 2016 survey shows about 80 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 to 29 had read at least one book in the previous 12 months, the highest share amongst all age groups. About 73 percent of the respondents aged between 30 to 49 years old said they read at least one book in the last 12 months. The share among respondents between 50 and 64 years old stood at 70 percent, whereas 67 percent of respondents aged 65 plus stated reading book during the time measured. In terms of education level, book readers in the U.S. are more likely to have a college degree, or at least some college education – 86 percent and 81 percent respectively. Women in the U.S. read slightly more than men; 68 percent of male respondents started reading at least one book in the previous 12 months, against 77 percent of female respondents that said the same.

Despite the rise of digital platforms and the rising popularity of e-reading devices such as Kindle, Kobo and others, printed books still remain the most popular book format in the U.S., as 65 percent of Americans stated preference for printed books in 2016. E-books were consumed by 28 percent of respondents in 2016, whereas audio books were listened by 14 percent of the respondents. Millennials accounted for the largest share of printed book readers in the U.S. – 72 percent as of 2016.

The average daily time spent reading by individuals in the United States in 2024 amounted to **** hours, or **** minutes. According to the study, adults over the age of ** were the most avid readers, spending over ** minutes reading each day. Meanwhile, those aged between 15 and 19 years read for just **** minutes per day on average. Reading and COVID-19 Daily time reading increased among most consumers between 2019 and 2020, part of which could be linked to the unprecedented increases in media consumption during COVID-19 shutdowns. The mean annual expenditure on books per consumer unit also increased year over year, along with spending on digital book readers. Book reading habits A 2020 survey on preferred book formats found that ** percent of U.S. adults favored print books over e-books or audiobooks. However, engagement with digital books is growing. Figures from an annual study on book consumption revealed that the share of adults who reported reading an audiobook in the last year almost doubled between 2011 and 2019, and e-book readership also grew overall during that period.

Recent data revealed that ** percent of Boomers who responded to a survey held in the United States in March 2020 were more likely to read books as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, compared to ** percent of Gen X respondents.Millennials were the most likely to read more books to keep themselves entertained whilst self-isolating, with ** percent saying that they were more inclined to read books, ***** percent higher than all adults in total.

In 2021, survey data on book readers in the United States revealed that ** percent of female respondents stated they had read or listened to at least one book in the previous 12 months. The share of men who had read a book in that time frame was slightly lower at ** percent, but marked an increase from the ** percent recorded two years earlier. Book readers in the U.S. Whilst digital formats have overtaken print in terms of popularity and consumption, many U.S. media consumers still enjoy a good book – though women tend to read more books than men. A 2018 survey showed that 11 percent of U.S. women read ** or more books that year, compared to **** percent of male respondents. Women were also more likely to prefer reading books in paperback format, and much less likely to be fans of comic books. Regardless of adults’ preferences, something which many U.S. readers agree on is the importance of reading to children. According to a report on family reading habits, 58 percent of parents with a child aged between three and five years old said that they read aloud to their child **** to ***** times per week. The frequency of read-aloud time diminished as children grew older, usually because the child could then read independently, though some children eventually swap reading for other activities such as playing video games, watching television, or using social media.

A survey examining book readership in the United States as of February 2021 showed that ** percent of 18-to-29-year-olds had read a print book in the last year. The share was slightly lower among older adults, though more than ** percent of respondents in each age group reported having read at least one printed book in the 12 months leading to the survey.

According to a survey held in the United States between March and April 2020, 70 percent of respondents said that they read print books the most, with 39 percent of those consumers preferring their books to be new.

The study was conducted as the U.S. went into lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, however although the virus certainly affected media consumption in the United States, what did not change was consumers' book preferences. Print has always been the most popular book format in the U.S. and figures on increased media consumption during the pandemic showed that even Gen Z, a generation famed for loving digital, were the most likely to be reading books more than usual during the outbreak.

Book consumption in the U.S.

Whilst printed newspapers and magazines have struggled to survive as digital formats grow ever more prevalent and appealing, when it comes to books U.S. consumers still have a clear preference for print. Annual survey data consistently shows that U.S. adults are far more likely to have read a print book in the last year than a digital version thereof, and whilst the popularity of digital books has increased, print remains the favorite.

As far as book buying goes, whilst the number of print books sold in the U.S. fluctuates each year, the figures remain relatively stable. Although unit sales have not surpassed 700 million since 2010, the number came close in 2018 and yearly sales from 2015 to 2019 were higher than the amount recorded in 2004.

In the United States in 2024, Asian Americans spent an average of **** minutes reading per day. White readers spent the most time with books each day, whereas Hispanic Americans read for just *** minutes on average.

In early 2021, a survey found that ** percent of adults in the United States with high school education or less had read or listened to a book in the last year. By contrast, almost ** percent of adults who had graduated college or pursued further education after college had engaged with a print, e-book, or audiobook in the 12 months leading to the survey.

Recent data revealed that ** percent of white adults who responded to a survey held in the United States in ********** were more likely to read books as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, compared to ** percent of African American respondents. Hispanics were the most likely to read more books to keep themselves entertained whilst self-isolating, with ** percent saying that they were more inclined to read books, ***** percent higher than all adults in total.

During a survey held in early 2019, ** percent of respondents with an annual household income of more than ****** U.S. dollars a year stated they had read at least one book in the previous 12 months. Whilst this figure remains unchanged from 2018, there remains a clear correlation between book readership and income. For individuals with annuals household earnings of less than ** thousand U.S. dollars, the share of adults who had read a book in any format in the last year was ** percent lower than for those earning *** or more.

A survey held in the United States in early 2021 found that ** percent of all participants had not read any books in the twelve months running to the survey, whereas ** percent of adults reported having read more than ** print, audio, or e-books in the last year. The share of respondents who had read ** books or more grew consistently between 2018 and 2021.

In 2024, adults in the United States spent more time reading on weekends than weekdays, according to recent data. The average time spent reading in the U.S. amounted to *** hours (18 minutes) on weekends and holidays, while daily time spent reading on weekdays in 2024 remained belowpre-pandemic levels at just over a ******* of an hour.

According to the results of a survey held in late 2022, American book lovers and readers still read print books the most, with ** percent having read a paperback or hardcover book that year. Kindle and other e-books were an appealing option with ** percent having read one in 2022, whereas audiobooks were substantially less popular.

In 2021, ** percent of respondents with a high school degree or less reported not having read a book in the last year, compared to ** percent who had some college education. Survey respondents who were college graduates or had pursued further education beyond college were the least likely to say that they had not read a single print book, e-book, or audiobook in the past 12 months.

As of December 2021, just ** percent of surveyed women in the United States said that they had not read any books in the last year, ten percent less than the share of men who said the same. Both male and female respondents were most likely to have read *** to **** books in the year leading to the survey, though **** percent of women reported having read more than ** books in that time.

The share of white U.S. adults who had not read a book in the last 12 months in the United States amounted to just ** percent in 2021, whereas ** percent of Black adults said that they had not read a book during that time period. Hispanic adults were the least likely to have read a print book, e-book, or audiobook in the year running the February 2021 survey, with ** percent saying that they had not done so.

Reading books remains a popular pastime for U.S. adults, with ** percent of respondents to a 2021 survey saying that they had read a book in any format within the last year. Despite online media formats now being the preferred option for many consumers when it comes to television, music, and gaming, print books are by far the most popular format among readers in the United States. Whilst almost double the share of adults now read audiobooks compared to 2011, only ** percent claimed to have read an audiobook in the last year compared to ** percent who said that they had read a print book. Book sales in the United States In 2020, bookstore sales in the United States amounted to **** billion U.S. dollars. Sales in 2019 and 2020 were the lowest recorded since the early *****, and the combined effect of the coronavirus outbreak, along with the growing appeal of online purchasing, will likely mean that bookstore sales will continue to drop. Bookstores tend to see most success in August, December, and January, and sales revenue often surpasses *********** U.S. dollars in those months each year. That said, monthly retail sales of bookstores in the U.S. are notably lower overall than in previous years and were particularly poor in spring 2020 as a result of national shutdowns to stem the spread of COVID-19. Influence of COVID-19 on reading habits The coronavirus pandemic led to increased media consumption in general, but not only among avid video and music streaming fans. Data from a survey in March 2020 revealed that ** percent of Millennials read more books due to the COVID-19 outbreak, making consumers in this group the most likely to have done so compared to ** percent of the total survey sample. Meanwhile, ** percent of Boomers said that their reading habits had not changed.

This graph presents the frequency of book reading among gamers in the United States in 2016, sorted by gender. According to the survey, ** percent of male respondents rarely read books in 2016.

This timeline presents book readership in the United States from 2002 to 2012. In 2010, ** percent of respondents stated they read a book the day before.