75%
2025 (latest)
READ A BOOK LAST YEAR (ANY FORMAT)
percent of adults who read a book, in whole or in part, in any format, past 12 months · 2011–2025 · higher is better · Pew Research Center
78%
2011
78%
high · 2011
72%
low · 2015
−3.0 pts
since 2011
┊ dashed lines mark 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. "In the past 12 months, about how many books did you read either all or part of the way through?" (print, electronic, or audiobooks) — percent reading at least one. 2011–2021 by live telephone; October 2025 on Pew's American Trends Panel (web). Pew charts the mode change with a dashed segment and notes minor wording adjustment in 2025; the level was unchanged across it (75% in 2021, 75% in 2025). 2012 was asked twice (Jan 75, Oct 74); the annual value is their mean — the only arithmetic here.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/09/americans-still-opt-for-print-books-over-digital-or-audio-versions-few-are-in-book-clubs/
- https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/04/S_26.04.09_books_topline.pdf
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Societal-Health
Data
| Year | Read a Book Last Year (any format) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 75% | +0.0 pts |
| 2021 | 75% | +3.0 pts |
| 2019 | 72% | −2.0 pts |
| 2018 | 74% | +1.0 pts |
| 2016 | 73% | +1.0 pts |
| 2015 | 72% | −4.0 pts |
| 2014 | 76% | +1.5 pts |
| 2012 | 74.5% | −3.5 pts |
| 2011 | 78% | — |
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