Reading Habits in Different Communities
Several surveys by the Pew Research Center’s Internet &
American Life Project reveal interesting variations among communities in the
way their residents read and use reading-related technology and institutions:
Book readers: Some 78% of Americans ages 16 and older say they read a book in
the past 12 months. Urban (80%) and suburban (80%) residents are especially
likely to have read at least one book in the past year. While rural residents
are somewhat less likely to have read a book in the past year (71%), the book
readers in rural areas read as many books as their counterparts in cities and
suburbs.
Purposes for
reading: Most of those ages 16 and
older read books for pleasure, and that is especially true of suburban
readers: 82% of suburbanites read for pleasure, compared with 79% of urban
residents and 76% of rural residents. Urban residents (80%) and suburban
dwellers (79%) are also especially likely to read to keep up with current
events. Some 73% of rural residents do that. More than three-quarters of
suburban residents (77%) read to research topics that interest them,
compared with 74% of urban residents and 70% of rural residents. Finally, 57%
of suburbanites and 58% of city dwellers read for school or work,
compared with 47% of rural residents who do that.
