Reading Through the Ages :: Generational Reading Survey via Library Journal

Reading Through the Ages | Generational Reading Survey

Library Journal: 1.06.2020 by Amy Rea

When it comes to reading for pleasure, there are plenty of similarities across all age groups. But there are also enough variations in who is reading, how they read, and where they get books, to provide useful information about generational reading habits.

LJ conducted a survey of 2,232 readers with at least 400 in each age group—Generation Z (16–22), Millennials (23–38), Generation X (39–54), Baby Boomers (55–73), and the Silent Generation (74–91)—to explore those differences. LJ examined Gen-Z and Millennial readers in depth earlier this year, but the responses across the board are worth looking at.

READING FOR PLEASURE

When asked if they read for pleasure more, less, or the same amount as three years before, Millennials were much more likely to say they read more now than three years ago (48 percent). This could represent aging out of parenting infants and toddlers into a time of life with more time to read. In contrast, nearly half of Generation Z respondents said they read less for pleasure now.

This group encompasses student in high school and college, and their time is likely committed to required reading rather than recreational.

BUYING AND BORROWING

The Silent Generation also led the pack in number of books purchased, averaging nine annually, 11 borrowed from the library, and seven acquired another way.

LIBRARY USE

Generation X (79 percent) and Baby Boomers (75 percent) are most likely to have library cards. Only 62 percent of Generation Z are cardholders, but 47 percent borrowed at least one book from the public library in the past year—indicating that Gen-Z members with cards are highly likely to use them.

=In contrast, 73 percent of the Silent Generation have a library card, yet only 40 percent borrowed a book in the past year

BUYING VS. BORROWING

All generations are more likely to borrow from the library at least monthly than to purchase books. However, more than twice as many people say they never borrow books from the library than say they never buy books.

WHY THE LIBRARY?

Reasons for going to the library are similar across all but the youngest generation surveyed, but the proportions shift somewhat:

HOW READERS FIND BOOKS

Websites and apps devoted to letting people rate and review books still haven’t overcome an old favorite: Recommendations from friends and family are the top method all generations use to find out about books they might want to read. More than 55 percent in each generation choose that approach.

BROWSING AND REVIEWING

Content samples and pricing had the strongest effects on book selection across all generations. For Generation Z and Millennials, cover art was nearly as important, while for the Silent Generation, it was the least important factor. Author blurbs and jacket copy are less influential overall.

FORMAT PREFERENCES

Print books comprise the majority of formats used across all generations. However, at least 62 percent of all respondents noted that they read in more than one format. Older generations are less likely to read multiple formats, while more than 70 percent of Generation Z and Millennials do.

LISTENING IN

For respondents who prefer audiobooks, far and away the primary reason is the ability to listen to a book while doing other things. Thirty-one percent of the Silent Generation also noted that they have difficulty reading print.

GENRE PREFERENCES

When asked to estimate how many fiction and nonfiction books they read in the past year, fiction ranked higher across all generations. Overall, the estimate is 61 percent fiction and 39 percent nonfiction. Fiction is especially prevalent in the youngest (Generation Z, 65 percent) and oldest (Silent Generation, 66 percent) generations.

BOOK EVENT PARTICIPATION

Book clubs, both in-person and online, are mostly popular with younger generations. At least 72 percent of respondents said they did not participate in book clubs.

CULTURAL REPRESENTATION

Respondents were asked how important it is to them to read books that reflect their own cultural background, values, or personal identity (for example, religion, sexuality/gender, ability status, etc.).  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

Twelfth graders)

Literacy Reports & Statistics

General

America’s Most Educated Cities & States: Wallet Hub (2019)

America’s Most Literate Cities, CCSU

2020: Reading Through the Ages: Generational Reading Survey, LJ (Amy Rea)

2017: U.S. Trends in Arts Attendance and Literary Reading: 2002–2017, NEA

2016: Book Reading 2016, Pew

2013: Remodeling Literacy Learning, Natl Center for Literacy Education (NCLE)

2012: Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options Practice Research, NAS

2007: To Read Not To Read, NEA

2004: Reading At Risk, NEA

How Do We Read? Let’s Count The Ways: Comparing Digital, Audio, and Print-Only Readers ▬ Arts.gov

How Do We Read? 

Let’s Count The Ways

How Do We Read? Let’s Count The Ways: Comparing Digital, Audio, and Print-Only Readers; New Report from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Arts.gov: March 2020

This report analyzes data from the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), which the National Endowment for the Arts conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau. It gives a statistical overview of how the nation’s adults engage with leisure reading and other literary activities, such as author readings, book clubs, and creative writing. The survey identifies three groups of adults: nonreaders, print-only readers, and digital/audio readers. (The latter category describes adults who read e-books or listened to audiobooks, but who also may have read books in print.)

Previous reports from the National Endowment for the Arts have shown long-term declines in book-reading and in the reading of literary texts—e.g., novels and short stories. For those who care about the future of books and literature, the new report attests to the vitality of digital and audio platforms in today’s literary culture. For example, when we account for adults who listen to audiobooks, the total number of adults who engage with books is more comparable to figures from previous years. Also, the data show that while older readers read books at higher rates than do younger adults, digital/audio reading is more common among younger than older readers. Indeed, digital/audio readers consume more books on average and engage in other cultural activities at higher rates than do print-only readers.

Results in Brief

1. More than half of all U.S. adults (55 percent, or 132 million) engage in some form of book-reading, whether via print or digital media, or listening to audiobooks.

Digital/audio readers now represent a larger share of adults than do print-only readers.

Previous research has shown a decline in the percentage of adults who read books. However, when the 2017 percentage is adjusted to include adults who listen to audio-books, the overall rate of book-reading is somewhat closer to those in previous years.

2. Younger readers, especially 18-24-year-olds, are more likely than older adults to be digital/audio readers who also may be reading print books.

Digital/audio readers consume more books per year than do other types of readers.

Adults aged 65 and older are more likely than other age groups to be print-only readers.

3. Readers of poetry and graphic novels are more likely to be digital/audio readers than print-only readers.

By contrast, readers of novels or short stories or works of biography, history, and religion, are more likely to be print only readers.

4. Digital/audio readers frequently engage in other cultural activities and support the arts.

Print-only readers engage with and support the arts more than nonreaders do, but they consistently report lower levels of support than digital/audio readers.  READ MORE ➤➤

Literacy Reports & Statistics

General

America’s Most Educated Cities & States: Wallet Hub (2019)

America’s Most Literate Cities, CCSU

2020: How Do We Read? Let’s Count The Ways, NEA

2017: U.S. Trends in Arts Attendance and Literary Reading: 2002–2017, NEA

2016: Book Reading 2016, Pew

2013: Remodeling Literacy Learning, Natl Center for Literacy Education (NCLE)

2012: Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options Practice Research, NAS

2007: To Read Not To Read, NEA

2004: Reading At Risk, NEA

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 9

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 13-15 yrs. Old

(Eighth and Ninth graders)

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Cazenovia NY :: Red Deer AB :: Long Beach CA :: Salisbury MD

Literacy: Spanning North America

Literacy Coalition 

Madison Co

Madison County Reads Ahead Enhances Tutor Experience

Oneida Dispatch: 6.07.2019

Twenty educators attended a recent training luncheon for Madison County Reads Ahead at the Cazenovia Public Library. MCRA is the only 1-to-1 free tutoring program in the county that helps adults obtain their high school equivalency or learn English for speakers of other languages.

@CazPubLib

MCRA Coordinator Tara Truett, a retired educator with more than 30 years in public education, has been with the program since 2012. She reported that the training introduced the new product, Knowdell Card Sort, that helps clients think about their career values, skills and occupational interests. Tutors also learned about using News For You Online which offers easy-to-read weekly stories with audio and exercises for ESOL clients.  READ MORE >>

@rdpl

Mayor’s Recognition Awards Honour City’s Finest

Red Deer News: 6.07.2019

The 2019 Mayor’s Recognition Awards were presented Thursday night at a ceremony held at the Cambridge Red Deer Hotel and Conference Centre.

“It’s my honour to acknowledge the citizens who contribute their skills, knowledge and talents to strive for excellence, demonstrate leadership, and build our community; the Mayor’s Recognition Awards are an opportunity each year to do just that. On behalf of City Council and all Red Deerians, it is a privilege to acknowledge those who have made, and continue to make, Red Deer proud,” said Mayor Tara Veer.

This year the Mayor’s Special Award – the highest recognition given by The City of Red Deer, was presented to The Volunteers of the Red Deer Public Library Adult Literacy Program.

For 30 years, this program has been helping adult learners from all walks of life develop and enhance their literacy skills. Whatever the needs of the individual, the program matches learners with dedicated volunteers to help them meet their goals. As a result, learners are often able to find better employment, engage more with their own children’s learning, become more confident, and become more engaged citizens of our community.

The program currently has 208 volunteers who not only assist with learning; they also become role models, friends and build a stronger sense of community with their fellow Red Deerians.

In 2018, the Adult Literacy Program was awarded the Council of the Federation Literacy Award in recognition of its outstanding achievement in literacy.  READ MORE >>

@LBCityLibrary

Long Beach Library: Introducing LB Reads Literacy Program

Long Beach Library: June 2019

Long Beach Public Library is excited to launch LB Reads on Saturday, June 15th at the annual Summer Reading Program kickoff at Bach Neighborhood Library.

LB Reads is a free, one-on-one literacy tutoring program designed to help English speaking adults improve their reading and writing skills so they can reach their potential as workers, parents, community members, and life-long learners.

The National Center for Education Statistics reported that 33.5 percent of the population 16 years and over in Los Angeles County lacked basic prose literacy skills. =This was up from 20.4 percent in 1992. The annual America's Most Literate Cities study of Central Connecticut State University has ranked 88 U.S. cities for literacy since 2003. Their 2014 ranking placed Long Beach overall in 67th place. LB Reads seeks to improve these numbers by pairing tutors and learners in a trusted learning environment.

Literacy has always been a core goal of the library, and LB Reads is our way of reaching the underserved population of adults who cannot read or write proficiently.

LB Reads is made possible by the California State Library through the California Library Literacy Services grant.

@wicolibrary

Project READ Looks to Make Difference in Wicomico County

WBOC: 6.09.2019

Reading and writing, they're skills most of us take for granted.

But when you lack them, finding jobs and pursuing new opportunities can be near impossible.

That's why the Wicomico County Public Libraries came up with Project READ, an adult literacy program serving adult learnings in the Wicomico County area.

Quinton Davis has been a part of project read for a little less than a year.

"It helps with academics and it helps me learn better," said Quinton.

And it also helps with something greater.

"It helps you know that it's not a bad thing not to be able to read like other people can read," said Quinton.

At the heart of it all is, Wynette Curtis, Project READ coordinator at Wicomico Public Libraries.

"Project read is an adult literacy program sponsored by Wicomico Public Libraries, we offer free confidential one-on-one tutoring in reading, math, writing, computer basics, financial literary, and health literacy," said Curtis.

Essentially, any skill that you'd need to earn a better job and improve your quality of life.  WATCH 03:21

Most & Least Educated States & Cities in America via Wallet Hub

Most & Least Educated States & Cities in America

Wallet Hub: 1.21.2019 by Adam McCann

For a growing number of Americans, a good education is the ticket to a better future. College opens doors to more career opportunities, higher earnings and new social connections, among other benefits. But how much schooling one receives also matters to some extent. Generally, the higher the level of education one completes, the higher their income potential and the lower their chances of unemployment become.

In this study, WalletHub examined the key factors of a well-educated population: educational attainment, school quality and achievement gaps between genders and races. We compared all 50 states across 20 total metrics grouped into two categories. The data set ranges from share of adults aged 25 and older with at least a high school diploma to average university quality to gender gap in educational attainment.

Most Educated States

1      Massachusetts   80.06

2      Maryland            73.21

3      Vermont             70.07

4      Connecticut       68.22

5      Colorado            67.97

6      Virginia              66.98

7      New Hampshire 66.32

8      Minnesota          65.57

9      Utah                   64.53

10    Washington       63.77

Most & Least Educated Cities in America

Wallet Hub: 7.24.2018 by Adam McCann

Cities want to attract highly educated workers to fuel their economic growth and tax revenues. Higher levels of education tend to lead to higher salaries. And the more that graduates earn, the more tax dollars they contribute over time, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In turn, educated people want to live somewhere where they will get a good return on their educational investment. People also tend to marry others of the same educational level. Already having a large educated population may be a good way to draw in even more people with degrees.

Not all highly educated people will flock to the same areas, though. Some may prefer to have many people with similar education levels around them for socializing and career connections. Others may want to be a big fish in a little pond. Not every city will provide the same quality of life to those with higher education, either.

To determine where the most educated Americans are putting their degrees to work, WalletHub compared the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across 11 key metrics. Our data set ranges from share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher to quality of the public school system to gender education gap. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

Most Educated Cities

1      Ann Arbor, MI                                                                92.57

2      Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV      77.39

3      San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA                            75.14

4      Durham-Chapel Hill, NC                                                 72.77

5      San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA                           71.07

6      Madison, WI                                                                   69.47

7      Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH                             67.71

8      Austin-Round Rock, TX                                                 66.14

9      Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA                                      66.13

10    Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT                               65.94

READ MORE >>

Literacy Reports & Statistics

General

America’s Most Educated Cities & States: Wallet Hub (2019)

America’s Most Literate Cities, CCSU

2017: U.S. Trends in Arts Attendance and Literary Reading: 2002–2017, NEA

2016: Book Reading 2016, Pew

2013: Remodeling Literacy Learning, Natl Center for Literacy Education (NCLE)

2012: Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options Practice Research, NAS

2007: To Read Not To Read, NEA

2004: Reading At Risk, NEA

NEA Study Finds Small Dip in Adult Reading via PW

NEA

NEA Study Finds Small Dip in Adult Reading

PW: 9.13.2018 by Jim Milliot

A new report from the National Endowment for the Arts found that reading for pleasure fell slightly between 2012 and 2017. According to the report, “U.S.Trends in Arts Attendance and Literary Reading: 2002–2017,” the percentage of adults 18 and older who read any book that wasn’t for work or school in 2017 was 52.7%, compared to 54.6% in 2012 and 54.3% in 2008. In 2002, the percentage of adults who read a book for pleasure was 56.6%. (All results are based on what, if any, books adults read in the 12 months prior to taking part in the survey, which was conducted in July 2017.)

The NEA did not go into detail about the recent reading trends, noting that the brief report (12 pages) is intended to provide a “statistical snapshot of the critical elements of arts participation,” adding that a forthcoming research report will address the topic of reading in more detail.

In addition to discussing reading trends, the new report found that 53.8% of adults attended a visual or performing arts event at least once in 2017, up from 50.2% in 2012.

While not going into detail on reading, the new report does provide some breakdown on who is reading what. In what is likely the biggest surprise among its findings, the percentage of adults reading poetry rose between 2012 and 2017, marking the first time poetry reading has increased in the history of the NEA’s survey of participation in the arts.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Reports & Statistics

General

America’s Most Literate Cities, CCSU

2016: Book Reading 2016, Pew

2013: Remodeling Literacy Learning, Natl Center for Literacy Education (NCLE)

2012: Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options Practice Research, NAS

2007: To Read Not To Read, NEA

2004: Reading At Risk, NEA

Adult

2009: Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults, NAAL 2003

2006: Literacy of America's College Students, AIR

2007: Literacy in Everyday Life, NAAL 2003

2003: National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL

2000: Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets, USDE, NCES

1992: National Adult Literacy Survey, NALS