Americans skipping the books: survey

Fewer than half of adult Americans read novels, short stories, plays or poetry, according to a new survey released Thursday that details a dramatic decline in literary reading habits.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) report, "Reading at Risk," showed an overall drop of 10 percentage points - representing a loss of 20 million potential readers - from 1982 to 2002.
"This report documents a national crisis," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia.
"The decline in reading among every segment of the adult population reflects a general collapse in advanced literacy," Gioia said.
"To lose this human capacity - and all the diverse benefits it fosters - impoverishes both cultural and civic life."
Despite the much-touted influence of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books and Oprah Winfrey's Book Club in reviving reading among children and adults, the NEA survey showed the rate of decline in readers had actually accelerated from five percent to 14 percent since 1992.
A little more than one-third of adult males now read literature. The share is higher among women, but also on the decline.
Literary reading was down across all racial and ethnic groups, with Hispanic Americans showing the largest decrease of 10 percentage points.
Among the different age segments, the rate of decline among young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 was 55 percent greater than that of the total adult population.
"No single factor caused this problem. No single solution can solve it," Gioia said. "But it cannot be ignored and it must be addressed."
Gioia warned that "active and engaged" literacy could no longer be taken for granted in the United States.
"As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active and independent minded," he said. "These are not qualities that a free, innovative or productive society can afford to lose."
According to the survey, the most popular types of literature are novels or short stories, which were read by 45 percent of respondents, or 93 million adults, in 2002. Poetry was read by 12 percent, or 25 million people, while just four percent, or seven million people, reported reading a play.