Book News: AP Poll Says Reading Is Down

by Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 09/06/2007

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll released August 21 revealed that one in four adults failed to read a book in the past year. “Of those who did read,” the AP said, “women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.” The average number of books read was four, with roughly half those polled reading more than four (usually seven) and the other half having read less. Of the book readers, the median figure was nine books for women and five for men. College graduates were the largest group of book lovers and those aged 50 and up were bigger readers than those younger. The report also said that divided by ethnicity, “whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many [books] as those who attend frequently.” The poll was conducted from August 6 to 8 via telephone to 1,003 adults.