-
National Endowment for the Arts
To Read or Not To Read
A Question of National Consequence
Executive Summary
National Endowment for the Arts
To Read or Not To Read
A Question of National Consequence
w
Executive Summary
Research Report #47
Executive Summary
November 2007
^^#^M National Endowment for the Arts
^J^^r 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20506-0001
Telephone: 202-682-5400
Produced by the Office of Research & Analysis
Sunil Iyengar, Director
Staff contributors: Sarah Sullivan, Bonnie Nichols, Tom Bradshaw,
and Kelli Rogowski
Special contributor: Mark Bauerlein
Editorial and publication assistance by Don Ball
Designed by Beth Schlenoff Design
Front Cover Photo: Getty Images
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
To read or not to read : a question of national consequence,
p. cm. — (Research report ; #47)
"Produced by the Office of Research & Analysis, National
Endowment for the Arts, Sunil Iyengar, director; editorial and
publication assistance by Don Ball."
1. Books and reading — United States. 2.
Literature— Appreciation— United States. I. Iyengar, Sunil, 1973-
II. Ball, Don, 1964- III. National Endowment for the Arts.
Z1003.2.T6 2007
028:9— dc22
2007042469
202-682-5496 Voice/TTY
(a device for individuals who are deaf or hearing-impaired)
Individuals who do not use conventional print materials
may contact the Arts Endowment's Office for AccessAbility at
202-682-5532 to obtain this publication in an alternate format.
This publication is available free of charge at www.arts.gov,
the Web site of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Preface
To Read or Not To Read gathers and collates the best national data available to
provide a reliable and comprehensive overview of American reading today.
While it incorporates some statistics from the National Endowment for the
Arts' 2004 report, Reading at Risk, this new study contains vastly more data from
numerous sources. Although most of this information is publicly available, it has
never been assembled and analyzed as a whole. To our knowledge, To Read or Not
To Read is the most complete and up-to-date report of the nation's reading trends
and— perhaps most important— their considerable consequences.
To Read or Not To Read relies on the most accurate data available, which consists
of large, national studies conducted on a regular basis by U.S. federal agencies, sup-
plemented by academic, foundation, and business surveys. Reliable national statisti-
cal research is expensive and time-consuming to conduct, especially when it requires
accurate measurements of various subgroups (age or education level, for example)
within the overall population. Likewise, such research demands formidable resources
and a commitment from an organization to collect the data consistently over many
years, which is the only valid way to measure both short and long-term trends. Few
organizations outside the federal government can manage such a painstaking task.
By comparison, most private-sector or media surveys involve quick and isolated polls
conducted with a minimal sample size.
When one assembles data from disparate sources, the results often present con-
tradictions. This is not the case with To Read or Not To Read. Here the results are
startling in their consistency. All of the data combine to tell the same story about
American reading.
The story the data tell is simple, consistent, and alarming. Although there has been
measurable progress in recent years in reading ability at the elementary school level,
all progress appears to halt as children enter their teenage years. There is a general
decline in reading among teenage and adult Americans. Most alarming, both reading
ability and the habit of regular reading have greatly declined among college graduates.
These negative trends have more than literary importance: As this report makes clear,
the declines have demonstrable social, economic, cultural, and civic implications.
How does one summarize this disturbing story? As Americans, especially younger
Americans, read less, they read less well. Because they read less well, they have lower
levels of academic achievement. (The shameful fact that nearly one-third of Ameri-
can teenagers drop out of school is deeply connected to declining literacy and read-
ing comprehension.) With lower levels of reading and writing ability, people do less
well in the job market. Poor reading skills correlate heavily with lack of employment,
lower wages, and fewer opportunities for advancement. Significantly worse reading
skills are found among prisoners than in the general adult population. And deficient
readers are less likely to become active in civic and cultural life, most notably in vol-
unteerism and voting.
Strictly understood, the data in this report do not necessarily show cause and
effect. The statistics merely indicate correlations. The habit of daily reading, for
instance, overwhelmingly correlates with better reading skills and higher academic
Photo by Vance Jacobs
To Read or Not To Read 3
achievement. On the other hand, poor reading skills correlate with lower levels of
financial and job success. At the risk of being criticized by social scientists, I suggest
that since all the data demonstrate consistent and mostly linear relationships between
reading and these positive results — and between poor reading and negative results —
reading has played a decisive factor. Whether or not people read, and indeed how
much and how often they read, affects their lives in crucial ways.
All of the data suggest how powerfully reading transforms the lives of individu-
als— whatever their social circumstances. Regular reading not only boosts the likeli-
hood of an individual's academic and economic success — facts that are not especially
surprising — but it also seems to awaken a person's social and civic sense. Reading
correlates with almost every measurement of positive personal and social behavior
surveyed. It is reassuring, though hardly amazing, that readers attend more concerts
and theater than non-readers, but it is surprising that they exercise more and play
more sports — no matter what their educational level. The cold statistics confirm
something that most readers know but have mostly been reluctant to declare as fact —
books change lives for the better.
Some people will inevitably criticize To Read or Not To Read as a negative report —
understating the good works of schools, colleges, libraries, and publishers. Certainly,
the trends reported here are negative. There is, alas, no factual case to support gen-
eral growth in reading or reading comprehension in America. But there is another
way of viewing this data that is hardly negative about reading.
To Read or Not To Read confirms — without any serious qualification — the central
importance of reading for a prosperous, free society. The data here demonstrate that
reading is an irreplaceable activity in developing productive and active adults as well
as healthy communities. Whatever the benefits of newer electronic media, they pro-
vide no measurable substitute for the intellectual and personal development initiated
and sustained by frequent reading.
To Read or Not To Read is not an elegy for the bygone days of print culture, but
instead is a call to action — not only for parents, teachers, librarians, writers, and pub-
lishers, but also for politicians, business leaders, economists, and social activists. The
general decline in reading is not merely a cultural issue, though it has enormous con-
sequences for literature and the other arts. It is a serious national problem. If, at the
current pace, America continues to lose the habit of regular reading, the nation will
suffer substantial economic, social, and civic setbacks.
As with Reading at Risk, we issue this report not to dictate any specific remedial
policies, but to initiate a serious discussion. It is no longer reasonable to debate
whether the problem exists. It is now time to become more committed to solving it
or face the consequences. The nation needs to focus more attention and resources
on an activity both fundamental and irreplaceable for democracy.
c$£u*x^'<
Dana Gioia
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
4 To Read or Not To Read
Executive Summary
In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts published Reading at Risk: A Sur-
vey of Literary Reading in America. This detailed study showed that Americans in
almost every demographic group were reading fiction, poetry, and drama — and
books in general — at significantly lower rates than 10 or 20 years earlier. The declines
were steepest among young adults.
More recent findings attest to the diminished role of voluntary reading in Ameri-
can life. These new statistics come from a variety of reliable sources, including large,
nationally representative studies conducted by other federal agencies. Brought
together here for the first time, the data prompt three unsettling conclusions:
• Americans are spending less time reading.
• Reading comprehension skills are eroding.
• These declines have serious civic, social, cultural, and economic implications.
A. Americans Are Reading Less
Teens and young adults read less often and for shorter amounts of time when com-
pared with other age groups and with Americans of the past.
1. Young adults are reading fewer books in general.
• Nearly half of all Americans ages 18 to 24 read no books for pleasure.
• The percentage of 18- to 44-year-olds who read a book fell 7 points from 1992
to 2002.
Percentage of Young Americans Who Read a Book Not Required for Work or School
Age group
1992
2002
Change
Rate of decline
18-24
59%
52%
-7pp
-12%
25-34
64%
59%
-5pp
-8%
35-44
66%
59%
-7pp
-11%
All adults (18 and over)
61%
57%
-4pp
-7%
pp = percentage points
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
2. Reading is declining as an activity among teenagers.
♦ Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers.
♦ The percentage of 17-year-olds who read nothing at all for pleasure has
doubled over a 20-year period. Yet the amount they read for school or home-
work (15 or fewer pages daily for 62% of students) has stayed the same.
To Read or Not To Read 5
Percentage of Students Reading for Fun
Age 13
Age 17
Reading frequency
1984
2004
Change
1984
2004
Change
Never or hardly ever read
Read almost every day
8%
35%
13%
30%
+5pp
-5pp
9%
31%
19%
22%
+10 pp
-9pp
pp = percentage points
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
♦ Voluntary reading rates diminish from childhood to late adolescence.
Percentage
Who
Read Almost Every Day for
1984
Fun
1999
2004
9-year-olds
13-year-olds
53%
35%
54%
28%
54%
30%
17-year-olds
31% T
25% T 22% '
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Percentage Who Read a Book the Previous Day (Outside School or Work)
In 2004
For at least 5 minutes
For at least 30 minutes
8- to 10-year-olds
11- to 14-year-olds
15- to 18-year-olds
63%
44%
34%
40%
27%
26%
I
Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-Olds (#7251), 2005
3. College attendance no longer guarantees active reading habits.
♦ Although reading tracks closely with education level, the percentage of college
graduates who read literature has declined.
Percentage of Literary Readers Among College Graduates
1982
1992
2002
Change
1982-2002
Rate of decline
1982-2002
82%
75%
67%
-15 pp
-18%
pp = percentage points
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
65% of college freshmen 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—
climbing 18 points since they graduated from high school.
6 To Read or Not To Read
♦ By the time they become college seniors, one in three students read nothing at
all for pleasure in a given week.
Percentage of U.S. College Freshmen Who Read Little or Nothing for Pleasure
S 40%
Reading per week:
None
Less than 1 hour
10%
As high school seniors As college freshmen
in 2004 in 2005
Source: University of California, Los Angeles, Higher Education Research Institute
Percentage of U.S. College Seniors Who Read Little or Nothing for Pleasure
70% r-
ca
S 40% -
Reading per week:
None
Less than 1 hour
10%
As high school seniors As college seniors
(mainly pre-2002) in 2005
Source: University of California, Los Angeles, Higher Education Research Institute
4. Teens and young adults spend less time reading than people of other age groups.
♦ Americans between 15 and 34 years of age devote less leisure time than older
age groups to reading anything at all.
♦ 15- to 24-year-olds spend only 7-10 minutes per day on voluntary reading —
about 60% less time than the average American.
To Read or Not To Read 7
♦ By contrast, 15- to 24-year-olds spend 2 to T-h hours per day watching TV. This
activity consumes the most leisure time for men and women of all ages.
Average Time Spent Reading in 2006
Hours/minutes spent reading
Weekdays
Weekends
and holidays
Total, 15 years and over
20
26
15 to 24 years
07
10
25 to 34 years
09
11
35 to 44 years
12
16
45 to 54 years
17
24
55 to 64 years
30
39
65 years and over
50 1
07
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
♦ Literary reading declined significantly in a period of rising Internet use. From
1997-2003, home Internet use soared 53 percentage points among 18- to 24-
year-olds. By another estimate, the percentage of 18- to 29-year-olds with a
home broadband connection climbed 25 points from 2005 to 2007.1
Percentage of 18- to 24-Year-0lds Reading Literature
1982
1992
2002
Percentage reading literature
60%
53%
43%
Change from 1982
Rate of decline from 1982
#
#
-7pp
-12%
-17 pp
-28%
pp = percentage points
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
5. Even when reading does occur, it competes with other media. This multi-
tasking suggests less focused engagement with a text.
♦ 58% of middle and high school students use other media while reading.
♦ Students report using media during 35% of their weekly reading time.
♦ 20% of their reading time is shared by TV- watching, video/computer game-
playing, instant messaging, e-mailing or Web surfing.
! U.S. Census Bureau, Computer
and Internet Use in the United
States, 1997 and 2003, and
Pew/Internet & American Life
Project, Home Broadband
Adoption 2007.
Percentage Using Other Media While Reading
7th-12th Graders in 2003-2004
% who use other media while reading
Most of the time
Some of the time
Most/some
Little of the time
Never
Little/never
28%
30%
58%
26%
16%
42%
Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Media Multitasking Among Youth: Prevalence, Predictors
and Pairings (# 7592), 2006
8 To Read or Not To Read
■ ■ ■
1
1
-_>.
HP
ttfi
ERRATA
On page 9 of the Executive Summary for To Read or Not To Read, the first
sentence of the second bullet under #6 should state: "Amid year-to-year
fluctuations, consumer book sales peaked at 1.6 billion units sold in 2000."
■ I
■
■
IE H
I ■
Percentage of Time Spent Reading While Using Other Media
7th- to 12th-Graders in 2003-2004
Percentage of reading time
Reading while:
Watching TV
Listening to music
Doing homework on the computer
Playing videogames
Playing computer games
Using the computer (other)
Instant messaging
E-mailing
Surfing websites
Using any of the above media
11%
10%
3%
3%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%
35%
Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Media Multitasking Among Youth: Prevalence, Predictors
and Pairings (# 7592), 2006
6. American families are spending less on books than at almost any other time
in the past two decades.
♦ Although nominal spending on books grew from 1985 to 2005, average annual
household spending on books dropped 14% when adjusted for inflation."
Average Annual Spending on Books, by Consumer Unit
Adjusted for Inflation
$36
$34
$32
$30
$28
$26
1985
1989
1993
1997
2001
2005
The Consumer Price Index, 1982-1984 (less food and energy), was used to adjust for inflation.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Over the same period, spending on reading materials dipped 7 percentage
points as a share of average household entertainment spending.
Amid year-to-year fluctuations, consumer book sales peaked at 1.6 million
units sold in 2000. From 2000 to 2006, however, they declined by 6%, or
100 million units.1"
The number of books in a home is a significant predictor of academic
achievement.
11 For the purpose of this analysis,
"family" or "household" is used
instead of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics' technical term "con-
sumer unit." In addition to families
and households, a consumer unit
may describe "a person living
alone or sharing a household with
others or living as a roomer in a
private home or lodging house or
in permanent living quarters in a
hotel or motel, but who is finan-
cially independent."
"' Albert N. Greco and Robert M.
Wharton, Book Industry TRENDS
2007 (New York, N.Y.: Book
Industry Study Group, 2007),
various pages.
To Read or Not To Read 9
Average Test Scores by Number of Household Books, Grade 12 (2005-2006)
Average
science score
Average
civics score
Average
history score
*
Reported number of
books at home
More than 100
161
167
305
26-100
147
150
289
11-25
132
134
275
0-10
122 w
123 u
265 w
* Science and civics scores range from 0 to 300. History scores range from 0 to 500.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
B. Americans Are Reading Less Well
As Americans read less, their reading skills worsen, especially among teenagers and
young males. By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved.
1. Reading scores for 17-year-olds are down.
♦ 17-year-old average reading scores began a slow downward trend in 1992.
♦ For more than 30 years, this age group has failed to sustain improvements in
reading scores.
♦ Reading test scores for 9-year-olds — who show no declines in voluntary
reading — are at an all-time high.
♦ The disparity in reading skills improvement between 9-year-olds and 17-year-
olds may reflect broader differences in the academic and social climate of
those age groups.
Trend in Average Reading Scores for Students Ages 17 and 9
10 i-
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
Age 17
Age 9
Reported as differences from 1984 reading scores.
Test years occurred at irregular intervals.
Trend analysis based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
10 To Read or Not To Read
2. Among high school seniors, the average score has declined for virtually all
levels of reading.
♦ Little more than one-third of high school seniors now read proficiently. 1V
Percentage of 12th-Graders Reading at or Above the Proficient Level
1992
2005
Change
Rate of decline
40%
35%
-5pp
-13%
pp = percentage points
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
From 1992 to 2005, the average score declined for the bottom 90% of readers.
Only for the very best readers of 2005, the score held steady.
Change in 12th-Grade Reading Scores, by Percentile: 1992 and 2005
Percentile
1992
2005
90th
75th
50th
25th
10th
333
315
294
271
249
333
313
288
262
235
• The reading gap is widening between males and females.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Change
0
-2
-6
-9
-14
All score changes from 1992 are statistically significant.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Average 12th-Grade Reading Scores by Gender
1992
2005
Female
Male
297
287
292
279
Male-female gap
-10
-13
iv For 12th-graders, "Proficient"
corresponds with a reading score
of 302 or greater (out of 500).
To Read or Not To Read 11
3. Reading proficiency rates are stagnant or declining in adults of both genders
and all education levels.
♦ The percentage of men who read at a Proficient level has declined. For women,
the share of Proficient readers has stayed the same.v
Percentage
of Adults Proficient
in
Reading
Prose,
by Gender
1992
2003
Change
Rate of decline
Female
14%
14%
Opp
0%
Male
16%
13%
-3pp
-19%
Both genders
i 15%
13%
-2pp
-13%
pp = percentage points
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Average reading scores have declined in adults of virtually all education levels.
Average Prose Literacy Scores of Adults, by Highest Level of Educational
Attainment: 1992 and 2003
Education level:
1992
2003
Change
Less than/some high school
216
207
High school graduate
268
262
Vocational/trade/business school
278
268
Some college
292
287
Associate's/2-year degree
306
298
Bachelor's degree
325
314
Graduate study/degree
340
327
-9
-6
-10
-5
-8
-11
-13
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
♦ Even among college graduates, reading proficiency has declined at a 20%-23%
rate.
Percentage of College Graduates Proficient in Reading Prose
1992 2003 Change
Rate of decline
Bachelor's degree 40% 31% -9 pp
-23%
Graduate study/degree 51% 41% -10 pp
-20%
pp = percentage points
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
" For adults, "Proficient" corre-
sponds with a prose literacy score
of 340 or greater (out of 500).
'' Exceptions are adults still in
high school and those with a GED
or high school equivalency. In
both cases, score changes from
1992 to 2003 were not statistically
significant.
4. 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.
12 To Read or Not To Read
Average Reading Scores by Frequency of Reading for Fun
Grade 12 in 2005
Almost every day
Once or twice a week
Once or twice a month
Never or hardly ever
302
Reading scores range from 0 to 500.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Average Writing Scores by Frequency of Reading for Fun
Grade 12 in 2002
Almost every day
Once or twice a week
Once or twice a month
Never or hardly ever
149
Writing scores range from 0 to 300.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
To Read or Not To Read 13
C. The Declines in Reading Have Civic, Social, and Economic
Implications
Advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages. Deficient
readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas.
1. Employers now rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires.
♦ 38% of employers find high school graduates "deficient" in reading comprehen-
sion, while 63% rate this basic skill "very important."
♦ "Written communications" tops the list of applied skills found lacking in high
school and college graduates alike.
♦ One in five U.S. 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.""
Rated Very Important by Employers
Percentage of employers who rate the following basic skills as "very important" for high school graduates:
Reading comprehension
63%
English language
62%
Writing in English
49%
Mathematics
Foreign languages
30%
11%
Source: The Conference Board, Are They Really Ready to Work?, 2006
Percentage of Employers Who Rate High School Graduates as Deficient
in Basic Skills
Writing in English
Foreign languages
Mathematics
History/geography
Government/economics
Science
Reading comprehension
Humanities/arts
English language
72%
62%
54%
46%
46%
45%
38%
31%
21%
Source: The Conference Board, Are They Really Ready to Work?, 2006
v" Statistics Canada and OECD,
Learning a Living: First Results of
the Adult Literacy and Life Skills
Survey, 2005, 145.
V1" The National Commission on
Writing, Writing: A Ticket to
Work... or a Ticket Out: A Survey of
Business Leaders, 2004, 29, and
Writing: A Powerful Message from
State Government, 2005, 32.
Percentage of Employers Who Rate Job Entrants as Deficient in Applied Skills
High school graduates deficient in:
College graduates deficient in:
Written communication
81%
Written communication
28%
Leadership
73%
Leadership
24%
Professionalism/work ethic
70%
Professionalism/work ethic
19%
Critical thinking/problem solving
70%
Creativity/innovation
17%
Lifelong learning/self direction
58%
Lifelong learning/self-direction
14%
Source: The Conference Board, Are They Really Ready to Work?, 2006
14 To Read or Not To Read
2. Good readers generally have more financially rewarding jobs.
♦ More than 60% of employed Proficient readers have jobs in management, or in
the business, financial, professional, and related sectors.
♦ Only 18% of Basic readers are employed in those fields.
♦ Proficient readers are 2.5 times as likely as Basic readers to be earning $850 or
more a week.
Percentage Employed in Management and Professional Occupations, by Reading
Level in 2003
Management, business
and financial
Professional
and related
Total in either job
category
Proficient
19%
42%
61%
Basic
8%
10%
18%
Below Basic
3%
4%
7% J
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Percentage of Full-Time Workers by Weekly Earnings and Reading Level in 2003
$850-61,149
$1,150-81,449
$1,450-$1,949
$1,950 or more
Total
earning $850
or more
Proficient
20%
13%
13%
12%
58%
Basic
12%
5%
2%
4%
23%
Below Basic
7%
3%
1%
2%
13% i r
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
3. Less advanced readers report fewer opportunities for career growth.
♦ 38% of Basic readers said their reading level limited their job prospects.
♦ The percentage of Below-Basic readers who reported this experience was 1.8
times greater.
♦ Only 4% of Proficient readers reported this experience.
Percentage of Adults Who Said Their Reading Skills Limited Their Job
Opportunities, by Reading Level in 2003
A little
Some
A lot
Total
Proficient
2%
1%
1%
4%
Basic
14%
15%
9%
38%
Below Basic
13%
22%
35%
70%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
To Read or Not To Read 15
IX National Endowment for the
Arts, The Arts and Civic Engage-
ment: Involved in Arts, Involved in
Life, 2006.
4. Good readers play a crucial role in enriching our cultural and civic life.
♦ Literary readers are more than 3 times as 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.
♦ 18- to 34-year-olds, whose reading rates are the lowest for any adult age group
under 65, show declines in cultural and civic participation.1*
Participation Rates for Literary Readers in
2002
Literary readers
Non-readers (
3ap between groups
Visit art museums
43%
12%
-31 pp
Attend plays or musicals
36%
10%
-26 pp
Attend jazz or classical concerts
29%
9%
-20 pp
Create photographs, paintings, orwritin
gs 32%
10%
-22 pp
Attend sporting events
44%
27%
-17 pp
Play sports
38%
24%
-14 pp
Exercise
72%
40%
-32 pp
Do outdoor activities
41%
22%
-19 pp
pp = percentage points
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
5. Good readers make good citizens.
♦ Literary readers are more than twice as likely as non-readers to volunteer or do
charity work.x
Percentage of Literary Readers Who Volunteered in 2002
Literary readers
Non-readers
Gap between groups
43%
16%
-27 pp
pp = percentage points
Source: National Endowment for the Arts
Adults who read well are more likely to volunteer than Basic and Below-Basic
readers.
Percentage of Adults Who Volunteered, by Reading Level in 2003
Less than
Once a week
Total who
once a week
or more
volunteered
Proficient
32%
25%
57%
Basic
16%
15%
31%
Below Basic
8%
10%
18% \
\
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Ibid.
16 To Read or Not To Read
♦ 84% of Proficient readers voted in the 2000 presidential election, compared
with 53% of Below-Basic readers.
Percentage of Adults Who Voted in the 2000 Presidential Election, by 2003
Reading Level
Proficient
Basic
Below Basic
84%
62%
53%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
6. Deficient readers are far more likely than skilled readers to be high school
dropouts.
♦ Half of America's Below-Basic readers failed to complete high school — a
percentage gain of 5 points since 1992.
♦ One-third of readers at the Basic level dropped out of high school.
Percentage of Adults at or Below "Basic" Prose Reading Level Who Did Not
Complete High School: 1992, 2003
Prose readi
ng level
Below Basic
Basic
1992
45%
2003
50%
Change
+5pp
1992
38%
2003
33%
Change
-5pp
pp = percentage points
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
♦ For high school dropouts, the average reading score is 55 points lower than for
high school graduates — and the gap has grown since 1992.
♦ This fact is especially troubling in light of recent estimates that only 70% of
high school students earn a diploma on time.xl
Average Prose Reading Scores for Adult High School Graduates and Those Who
Did Not Complete High School: 1992, 2003
Prose
read
"9
score
Highest level of education
1992
2003
Change
Less than/some high school
High school graduate
216
268
207
262
-9
-6
Gap between groups
-52
-55
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
" Editorial Projects in Education,
Diplomas Count 2007: Ready for
What? Preparing Students for
College, Careers, and Life after
High School, Executive Summary.
To Read or Not To Read 17
"■ U.S. Department of Education,
National Center for Education
Statistics, Literacy Behind Bars:
Results from tiie 2003 National
Assessment of Adult Literacy
Prison Survey, 2007, 77.
7. Deficient readers are more likely than skilled readers to be out of the workforce.
♦ More than half of Below-Basic readers are not in the workforce.
♦ 44°c of Basic readers lack a full-time or part-time job — twice the percentage of
Proficient readers in that category.
Percentage of Adults Employed Full-Time or Part-Time, by 2003 Reading Level
Proficient
Basic
5e :,\ 5 = 5 :
78%
56%
45%
1
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
8. Poor reading skills are endemic in the prison population.
♦ 56°o of adult prisoners read at or below the Basic level.
♦ Adult prisoners have an average prose reading score of 257 — 18 points lower
than non-prisoners.
♦ Only 3°o of adult prisoners read at a Proficient level.
♦ Low reading scores persist in prisoners nearing the end of their term, when
they are expected to return to family society, and a more productive life.*11
Percentage of Adult Prisoners and Household Populations by 2003 Reading Level
Prose reading level
Household
Prison
Gap
Below Basic
Basic
Intermediate
Proficient
14%
29%
44%
13%
16%
40%
41%
3%
*+2 pp
+11 pp
*-3pp
-10 pp
* = not statistically significant
pp = percentage points
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
18 To Read or Not To Read
Conclusion
Self-reported data on individual behavioral patterns, combined with national test
scores from the Department of Education and other sources, suggest three distinct
trends: a historical decline in voluntary reading rates among teenagers and young
adults; a gradual worsening of reading skills among older teens; and declining profi-
ciency in adult readers.
The Department of Education's extensive data on voluntary reading patterns and
prose reading scores yield a fourth observation: frequency of reading for pleasure
correlates strongly with better test scores in reading and writing. Frequent readers
are thus more likely than infrequent or non-readers to demonstrate academic
achievement in those subjects.
From the diversity of data sources in this report, other themes emerge. Analyses
of voluntary reading and reading ability, and the social characteristics of advanced
and deficient readers, identify several discrepancies at a national level:
♦ Less reading for pleasure in late adolescence than in younger age groups
♦ Declines in reading test scores among 17-year-olds and high school seniors in
contrast to younger age groups and lower grade levels
♦ Among high school seniors, a wider rift in the reading scores of advanced and
deficient readers
♦ A male-female gap in reading proclivity and achievement levels
♦ A sharp divide in the reading skills of incarcerated adults versus non-prisoners
♦ Greater academic, professional, and civic benefits associated with high levels of
leisure reading and reading comprehension
Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm and monitor the effects of these differ-
ences over time. Future research also could explore factors such as income, ethnicity,
region, and race, and how they might alter the relationship between voluntary read-
ing, reading test scores, and other outcomes. Critically, further studies should weigh
the relative effectiveness and costs and benefits of programs to foster lifelong reading
and skills development. For instance, such research could trace the effects of elec-
tronic media and "screen reading" on the development of readers in early childhood.
Recent studies of American time-use and consumer expenditure patterns high-
light a series of choices lurking in the question "To read or not to read?" The future
of reading rests on the daily decisions Americans will continue to make when con-
fronted with an expanding menu of leisure goods and activities. The import of these
national findings, however, is that reading frequently is a behavior to be cultivated
with the same zeal as academic achievement, financial or job performance, and global
competitiveness.
Technical Note
This report presents some of the most reliable and currently available statistics on
American reading rates, literacy, and reader characteristics. No attempt has been
made to explore methods for reading instruction, or to delve into racial, ethnic, or
income traits of voluntary readers, though age, gender, and education are discussed
at various points in the analyses. The majority of the data stem from large, nationally
representative studies completed after the 2004 publication of the NEAs Reading at
Risk report. Unless a footnote is provided, sources for all data in this Executive Sum-
To Read or Not To Read 19
mary are given with each accompanying chart or table. All adult reading scores and
proficiency rates refer to the Department of Education's prose literacy category.
Caution should be used in comparing results from the several studies cited in this
publication, as the studies use different methodologies, survey populations, response
rates, and standard errors associated with the estimates, and the studies often were
designed to serve different research aims. No definite causal relationship can be made
between voluntary reading and reading proficiency, or between voluntary reading,
reading proficiency, and the reader characteristics noted in the report. Finally, except
where book reading or literary reading rates are specifically mentioned, all references
to voluntary reading are intended to cover all types of reading materials.
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