See some of the possibilities here. Apparently, one-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. 42% of college graduates never read another book after college. 80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year. (via Mental Floss)
I wonder exactly what “read another book” means.
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The answer to the question is, of course, “just more work at the desk.” The average infoworker has already gained at least two hours’ capacity from the innovation of Google since, say, 1999.
And yet we still have these problems. So, nothing will change if you get me another two hours; not for your infoworker. He’ll just do more work, complete more projects for other people, and so forth.
Now, if you cut the work week by two hours — requiring time and a half for every hour per week beyond 38, say — then you’ll find people who will maybe sleep extra, or write that novel, or read that book.
Why is it I find these numbers suspect?
Those numbers are terrifying, but judging from that Mental Floss update, they are from 2003 and pretty suspect. The survey group must have skewed their questions or their audience or something. The book row at Target, bookstores, and libraries seem way too crowded to account for only 20% of the population.
So, out of curiosity: how many books do you Brandywiners read? I average 6 or 7 a month, but I’m not reading Dostoeyevsky regularly, either.
I was a bit worried about the stats, but I thought the caveat Mental Floss put on it was enough.
You know, Pinion, I worry that revealing how little I actually read will shoot my credibility.
Phil – well, we know you read articles at least. And write blog posts. 😉
Heh, sure. That’s a winner, isn’t it. I do read in books or read from them, but not necessarily through them. Still, I think if I kept tabs on exactly how many books I read completely (or as much as I ever want to) and another list of those I returned to during the year, it wouldn’t be so many you couldn’t carry them around in a backpack.
This is another thing I don’t need to make an idol and attempt to find in it personal security. Anyway, I hope others we know by their blog handles answer your question.
Check out Clay Shirky’s book COGNITIVE SURPLUS. He suggests that trends show young people are finding lots to do with that time, and not just media consumption either.
That said, the lack of reading you discuss does make me lament. And your question about ‘read another book’ is key here. If you aren’t inclined to read another book, I wonder how thoroughly you read the books you’ve been assigned.
Good question. I suppose it means the person would not pick up a new book and read from it, but I wonder how the question was worded to the respondents. Like I said before, I’ve read in many books, but I wouldn’t say I’ve read through them or will never pick some of them up again. As far as reading assigned books, many students likely scan for answers.
As for other uses of time, I have a backyard garden, yard to mow, wife and kids, church responsibilities and opportunities, one of the best litblogs on the internet, and lately skill-building. Still, I wish I would choose to read more and faster. (I didn’t mentioning writing.)