Teens Are Reading Plenty, New Survey Finds
Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 4/2/2001
The results of a recent national survey conducted for the National Education Association indicate that teenagers are reading at a high rate, despite competition from other forms of entertainment.
From a pool of 509 people ages 12 to 18, 56% were found to read more than 10 books a year, and 41% read more than 15 books per year. Middle school students read the most; 70% of middle schoolers read more than 10 books a year, while 49% of high school students fit that category.
Of those surveyed, 87% described reading as "relaxing," 85% called it "rewarding and satisfying" and 79% described reading as "stimulating or interesting." Although most of the teens polled (46%) said that they read primarily for school, 42% said that they read for pleasure rather than for "facts and information."
The survey revealed some cultural differences. Though fully half of the respondents rated the enjoyment they get from reading near the top of the scale—a four or five out of five—the most enthusiastic response came from minority youth. Hispanic teens came in at 56% and African-American teens at 51%, while 47% of white teens gave reading such a high score. The survey also found that minority parents tend to be more encouraging of reading: 52% for African-American respondents and 47% for Hispanic youth, opposed to 43% of white teens.
