Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

US reading time up 21%

Survey results from the US Department of Labor found people were spending 21% more time reading in May–December 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, reports Publishers Weekly.

According to the American Time Use survey, reading of all kinds increased from an average of just under 17 minutes per day in 2019 to just over 20 minutes in 2020. The biggest increase in time spent reading was recorded among 20- to 34-year-olds, and readers over 65. People over the age of 75 spent the most time reading of any age group, with an average of 55 minutes per day.

On average, men read 18 minutes per day (up 30% on 2019) and women read 23 minutes per day (up 18%).

Despite the overall increase, there was a significant drop in reading among Americans with no high school diploma (down 42% to 6.5 minutes per day), while daily reading fell 27% for those in the lowest 25th percentile of weekly earning.

 

Category: International news