In the previous post, the editorial from the BR Advocate hinted at the recent reports published by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) suggesting that the nation's reading habits were on the decline.
The report, published in November of last year, is indeed sobering. Have a look at the entire report here. In summary, the report concluded the following:
1. Americans are spending less time reading.
2. Reading comprehension skills are eroding.
3. These declines have serious civic, social, cultural, and economic implications.
How troubling are their findings? Here are a few quick-hit headlines:
The report, published in November of last year, is indeed sobering. Have a look at the entire report here. In summary, the report concluded the following:
1. Americans are spending less time reading.
2. Reading comprehension skills are eroding.
3. These declines have serious civic, social, cultural, and economic implications.
How troubling are their findings? Here are a few quick-hit headlines:
1. Young adults a reading fewer books in general. In fact, they found that nearly half of all Americans ages 18-24 read no books for pleasure.
2. Reading is declining as an activity among teenagers.
- Less than a one-third of 13-yr-olds are daily readers.
- The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has doubled over a twenty year period. Yet the amount that they read for school or home-work has stayed the same.
3. College attendance no longer guarantees active reading habits.
- 65% of college freshman read for pleasure for less than an hour per week or not at all.
- The percentage of non-readers among these students has nearly doubled.
- By the time they become college seniors, one on three students read nothing at all for pleasure within a given week.
Other points of interest:
- Even when reading does occur, it competes with other media. This multi-tasking suggests less focused engagement with the text.
- American families are spending less on books than at almost any other time in the past two decades.
- Reading proficiency rates are stagnant or declining in adults of both genders and all education levels.
Why it matters:
1. Reading for pleasure correlates strongly with academic achievement.
1. Reading for pleasure correlates strongly with academic achievement.
- Voluntary readers are better readers and writers than non-readers.
- Children and teenagers who read for pleasure on a daily or weekly basis score better on reading tests than infrequent readers.
- Frequent readers also score better on writing tests than non-readers or infrequent readers.
2. Employers now rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires.
- One in five US workers read at a lower skill level than their job requires.
- Remedial writing courses are estimated to cost more than $3.1 billion for large corporate employers and $221 million for state employers.
3. Good readers generally have more financially rewarding jobs.
4. Good readers play a crucial role in enriching our cultural and civic life. In fact, literary readers are more than 3 times more likely as non-readers to visit museums, attend plays or concerts, and create artworks of their own. They are also more likely to play sports, attend sporting events, or do outdoor activities.
5. Good readers make good citizens. In fact, literary readers are more than twice as likely as non-readers to volunteer or do charity work.
Be sure to read the full report for more information.
4. Good readers play a crucial role in enriching our cultural and civic life. In fact, literary readers are more than 3 times more likely as non-readers to visit museums, attend plays or concerts, and create artworks of their own. They are also more likely to play sports, attend sporting events, or do outdoor activities.
5. Good readers make good citizens. In fact, literary readers are more than twice as likely as non-readers to volunteer or do charity work.
Be sure to read the full report for more information.
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