Fewer than half of American adults read a single book in a year, with gambling emerging as a more prevalent leisure activity than reading, according to a recent survey. The proportion of Americans who read for pleasure daily decreased from 28% in 2004 to 16% in 2023, according to data from the National Endowment for the Arts' American Time Use Survey. This figure encompasses reading books, magazines, newspapers, or listening to audiobooks and e-books.
In 2022, only 38% of Americans reported reading a novel or short story. Conversely, in 2025, more than half of Americans, 57%, placed a bet either online or in person, the survey indicated.
The decline in reading habits spans all age groups, genders, and education levels. Even demographics traditionally associated with higher reading engagement, such as retirees, women, and college graduates, showed a decrease in reading.
The study, which analyzed the leisure habits of 236,000 Americans, also noted a shift in the types of books being read. While in 1958, the year's best-selling novel was Boris Pasternak's “Doctor Zhivago,” the top honor in the most recent data year went to “Sunrise on the Reaping,” part of the young-adult Hunger Games series. Other bestsellers included children's books like “Partypooper” from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series and “Dog Man: Big Jim Believes.”
Analysis of New York Times bestsellers shows that sentences in popular books are now approximately one-third shorter than a century ago, suggesting a reduction in average reader attention spans. This trend is also reflected in national literacy metrics, where a 2024 study found only 35% of high school seniors were proficient in analyzing complex fictional themes or evaluating an author's argument. Approximately the same percentage scored below 'basic,' indicating difficulties in comprehending multi-page texts or inferring word meanings from context. Furthermore, nearly 30% of American adults struggle to paraphrase or make inferences from multipage texts, an increase from less than 20% in 2017.
Experts express concern that these trends may worsen. The survey found that only 2% of American adults read to a child daily, and between 1984 and 2025, the percentage of 13-year-olds who reported rarely or never reading for fun rose from 8% to 29%.
In a seemingly contradictory development, while reading figures decline, bookstores, both large chains and independent establishments, have experienced a resurgence in recent years. Barnes & Noble and independent booksellers, once considered relics in the face of online retail and the demise of chains like Borders, have seen new store openings and increased sales over the past decade. Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt, who assumed leadership in 2019, noted this revival.