To Read or Not To Read gathers statistics from more than 40 studies on the reading habits and skills of children, teenagers and adults and expands the investigation of the NEA’s landmark 2004 report, Reading at Risk.
Among the key findings:
Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, a 14 percent decline from 20 years earlier. Among 17-year-olds, the percentage of nonreaders doubled over a 20-year period, from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.
Reading scores for American adults of almost all education levels have deteriorated, notably among the best-educated groups. From 1992 to 2003, the percentage of adults with graduate school experience who were rated proficient in prose reading dropped by 10 points, a 20 percent rate of decline.
Nearly two-thirds of employers ranked reading comprehension “very important” for high school graduates. Yet 38 percent consider most high school graduates deficient in this basic skill.
Literary readers are more likely than nonreaders to engage in positive civic and individual activities—such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.
View the News Release.