Americans are reading less, and experts say it hurts everyone

A quiet revolution has been unfolding in everyday life. Over the past 20 years, the quiet pleasure of reading a book, magazine, or newspaper for enjoyment has been declining. A sweeping new poll reveals that reading for enjoyment on a daily basis in America dropped by more than 40% over a period of 20 years.

Research findings are drawn from an examination of more than 236,000 adults who participated in the American Time Use Survey from 2003 to 2023. The massive survey tracks the time Americans spend on their daily activities, and the picture it paints of reading is bleak.

This is not a small dip — it's a consistent, sustained drop of about 3% annually," stated Jill Sonke, Ph.D., director of research activities at the UF Center for Arts in Medicine. "It's huge, and it's highly disturbing." The decline is a demonstration of a deeper cultural shift. Fewer and fewer Americans are finding the time to read for enjoyment, and the trend is raising some fundamental questions about literacy, education, and public health in the future.

The decline is not precisely even across society. The sharpest declines were among Black Americans compared to white Americans, those living in rural towns compared to cities, and those with less income or education. Such findings suggest that reading, long regarded as one of the most democratic of activities, may now be revealing growing chasms.

“While people with higher education levels and women are still more likely to read, even among these groups, we’re seeing shifts,” said Jessica Bone, Ph.D., senior research fellow at University College London. “And among those who do read, the time spent reading has increased slightly, which may suggest a polarization, where some people are reading more while many have stopped reading altogether.”

One encouraging find is that reading with kids hasn't declined. But the behavior still isn't as common as reading alone. That's problematic, researchers note, as co-reading is linked to early literacy acquisition, success in school, and even stronger family ties.

Relaxation reading is something more than passing the time. Research has time and again proved that it improves empathy, helps with creativity, reduces stress, and encourages lifelong learning. It is also connected to mental health benefits like lower depression and greater resistance to loneliness.

The EpiArts Lab, a joint University of Florida and University College London research collaboration, long ago made dramatic connections between creative behavior and well-being. Their findings suggest that reading, music, and visual art can be employed as public health interventions. "Reading has been one of the low-barrier, high-impact ways of creative engagement and quality of life enhancement for a long time," said Sonke. "When we lose one of the simplest tools in our public health kit, it's a big deal."

The study did not examine causes in itself, but several possible reasons are mentioned by the authors. Smartphones and streaming websites have altered the way leisure time is consumed. Economic limitations also reduced the number of leisure hours, with numerous American workers holding more than one job or encountering irregular working hours.

“Our digital culture is certainly part of the story,” Sonke explained. “But there are also structural issues — limited access to reading materials, economic insecurity and a national decline in leisure time. If you’re working multiple jobs or dealing with transportation barriers in a rural area, a trip to the library may just not be feasible.”

These barriers mean that even avid readers who want to might find it harder to live in the rhythms of daily life. And without interventions, the gap between frequent readers and non-readers will continue to widen.

Despite alarming statistics, the study authors point out that solutions exist. Creating more opportunities for families and communities to read together could potentially make a big difference for the better. "Reading with children is one of the most promising avenues," said Daisy Fancourt, Ph.D., professor of psychology and epidemiology at University College London. "It fosters not only language and literacy, but empathy, social connection, emotional growth and readiness for school."

Community programs could also help by making reading more social and less solitary. Encouraging book groups, strengthening public libraries, and offering creative reading-centered events may help restore the habit. Bone emphasized that access remains key: “Ideally, we’d make local libraries more accessible and attractive, encourage book groups, and make reading a more social and supported activity — not just something done in isolation.”

The research highlights more than personal agency. It highlights the role of access to books, libraries, and time as public health and cultural preservation matters. Researchers warn that permitting reading to drop out of daily life risks destabilizing one of the lowest-cost well-being tools of all ages.

"Reading has long been one of the more inexpensive behaviors to induce wellbeing," Fancourt said. "It is concerning to see this kind of decline because the evidence is unequivocal: reading is a health-promoting behavior that benefits all segments of society, with benefit throughout the life-course."

The message is clear: restoring a culture of reading is not about saving stories. It is about defending empathy, creativity, mental wellbeing, and cultural belonging for generations to come.

Research findings are available online in the journal iScience.

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