Study Finds Adults are Reading More Fiction

Posted on January 12, 2009

The New York Times reports that a new study from the National Endowment for the Arts has found that the decline in fiction reading that has been going on for the past twenty-five years has finally reversed. In 2002, 46.7% reported having read a novel, short story, poem or play in the past twelve months. In 2008 that number climbed to 50.2%. It's still lower than 56.9% recorded in 1986 but it is still an increase since the last report from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, credits the increase in fiction reading to book clubs like The Big Read and Oprah's Book Club as well as popular book series like Harry Potter and Twilight. Gioia also created the individual efforts of teachers, librarians, parents and civic leaders to create "a buzz around literature."

You can read the PDF report from the National Endowment for the Arts here.