A recent study published in the journal IScience found that the number of adults who read for pleasure in the United States has continued to fall. While 26 percent of adults read for pleasure in 2003, 2023 data suggests that only 16 percent of adults regularly read for pleasure.
The study allowed the definition of “reading” to include books, newspapers, magazines, e-readers, and audiobooks.
There are strong disparities of reading time along gender, racial, and educational lines. In 2023, more women (18.6 percent) regularly read for pleasure than men (13.7 percent). Black participants had a 49% lower prevalence of daily reading than White participants. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, those who completed postgraduate education had a 2.79 times higher prevalence of daily reading compared to those with high school or less education.
Additionally, the study found that only 2 percent of adults regularly read with children. The authors noted that since 21 percent of study participants had a child under 9 years old, the data shows that a large majority of parents do not read with their children.
The fact that fewer adults are reading to children isn’t a problem confined to Minnesota. A HarperCollins UK survey found that fewer than half (41 percent) of children ages 0-4 are read to frequently. In the same survey, only 40 percent of parents said that reading to their children “is fun for me.”
Literacy in the family
Although a young child will probably not learn to read through bedtime stories alone, studies show that family reading lays a strong (and irreplaceable) foundation for future literacy. The American Library Association reports that 3- to 5-year-olds who had been read to for at least three times per week are two times more likely to recognize all letters, two times more likely to have word-sight recognition, and two times more likely to understand words in context. Reading to a child is an essential duty for a parent to accomplish.
Yet adults can’t always foster good literacy habits in their children if they don’t read themselves. The National Endowment of the Arts notes that in 2022, only 48.5 percent of American adults completed a book at all during the year. It’s no surprise that they also found that only 39 percent of nine year olds and 14 percent of thirteen year olds read for fun almost every day — the lowest scores for some time.
The majority of Minnesota third graders cannot read at grade level.
Some adults aren’t reading to their children because they are negligent, but because they themselves struggle to read. Literacy Minnesota notes that 1 in 3 adults would benefit from literacy support, and that 1 in 5 Americans read below a 3rd grade level. These adults are able to do no more than “read short, simple texts when locating information.”
Reading in English at home can also be a problem for some Minnesotans. Over one in ten Minnesotans (12 percent) primarily speak a language other than English in the home. Just over 60 percent of the people who primarily speak another language at home indicate that they also speak English “very well.” Specialized education is available for many of these speakers through Minnesota’s English Learner Education programs. Innovation is present outside of the public school system, as well. Bultum Academy in Columbia Heights is thought to be the country’s first charter school teaching the Oromo language, a language spoken primarily in Ethiopia and East Africa. (Around 8,000 Minnesotans speak Oromo at home.)
Public literacy initiatives
Public literacy begins with public culture. In the prairie days of American history, literacy was a rare gift. In 1870, 20 percent of America’s population was completely illiterate. After compulsory public education was enacted in the early 20th century and equal education was legally opened to all after Brown v. Board of Education, literacy became a basic cultural assumption.
Through intense public efforts, literacy rates have grown dramatically over the past century. These achievements occurred because millions of Americans read by themselves, with their spouses, their friends, and their children, taking up the great gift of literacy that their teachers had given them as a joyous duty. Progress must not falter, as it has done in the recent past. In an increasingly literate world that relies on the written word in technology, books, and physical signage, a cultural pride in literacy must continue.
The literacy push of the 1990s culminated in historic success, raising the rates of African American, Hispanic, and low-achieving student literacy by two to three grade levels over a twenty-year period. Why? Educators became focused on intense reading reform amid drops in child poverty rates and a decrease of violence in large cities. Over the years, American culture created methods to make literacy desirable. Public shows like Reading Rainbow, local reading incentive programs, and the Campaign for American’s Libraries have helped adults and children alike engage with reading.
Cultural institutions for literacy still remain. There are summer reading incentive programs in Minnesota designed to encourage children to read. Nonprofits often supply children with books, like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which gives children aged 0-5 a free book each month. Literacy Minnesota offers education courses of all types to adults. Adult education programs are available through local public schools and community organizations. Bookstores, churches, and universities often host publicly accessible book clubs for both adults and children. The READ Act, signed into law in 2023, encourages Minnesota educators to innovate for their students’ literacy. Additionally, the Minnesota Public Library 2024 Annual Report Snapshot noted that almost 3 million people were registered with the public library.
The Catherine Project is a tuition-free institution that offers short online reading groups, led by specialized tutors, for great books.
Individuals can help create a culture of literacy. Studies show that there is a strong social support component to how often children read. Adults aren’t impervious to peer pressure, either. How many times has a book become a must-buy, simply because others are speaking about it? In a world of digital distractions, reading has become even more essential. The more books of fiction people read, the easier it is for them to understand and empathize with other people.
To begin a personal emphasis on literacy, there’s no better place to start than the local library, where library cards are available for free.
