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[1]Literary reading among American adults is on the rise for the first time in more than 25 years, according to new report released this week by National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). "Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy" [1] presents evidence that "there has been a decisive and unambiguous increase [in literary reading] among virtually every group measured," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. The report designates "literary reading" as the "reading of any novels, short stories, poems, or plays in print or online."
Of special note is a significant growth in literary reading among young adults (ages 18 - 24). NEA reports their numbers have grown by 3.4 million readers, an increase of nine percentage points. The rate of their rise as readers (more than 21 percent) is especially significant, when compared to the steep decline in reading (20 percent) reported among 18- to 24-year-olds in 2002.
While the NEA survey does not seek to identify the reasons for the changes in American's reading habits, Gioia attributes the upward trend to the mobilization of parents, teachers, and other community leaders who made reading a priority in response to such previous dire reports as NEA's Reading at Risk and To Read or Not to Read.
Among some of Read on the Rise's other key findings:
The complete Reading on the Rise report is available on the NEA website [1].
Links:
[1] http://www.nea.gov/news/news09/ReadingonRise.html