Reading Habits of Adolescents

According to a report by the Pew Research Center, more than eight in ten Americans ages 16-29 read a book in the past year, and six in ten used their local public library. Many say they are reading more in the era of digital content, especially on their mobile phones and on computers.

This report examines how they encounter and consume books in different formats. 

Key findings include:

- 83% of Americans between the ages of 16 and 29 read a book in the past year.

- Among Americans who read e-books, those under age 30 are more likely to read their e-books on a cell phone (41%) or computer (55%) than on an e-book reader such as a Kindle (23%) or tablet (16%) .

- Overall, 47% of younger Americans read long-form e-content such as books, magazines or newspapers.

- 60% of Americans under age 30 used the library in the past year.

- Many of these young readers do not know they can borrow an e-book from a library, and a majority of them express the wish they could do so on pre-loaded e-readers.

- High schoolers (ages 16-17) are especially reliant on the library for their reading and research needs.

- College-aged adults (ages 18-24) show interesting shifts in their reading habits compared with high schoolers (ages 16-17).

- Adults in their late twenties (ages 25-29) exhibit different patterns when compared with younger age groups. 

Zickuhr, K., Rainie, L., Purcell, K., Madden, M., & Brenner, J. (2012). Younger Americans’ reading and library habits. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED537514.pdf