To read or not to read : a question of national consequence

In 2004 the National Endowment for the Arts published 'Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America'. This study showed that Americans in almost every demographic group were reading fiction, poetry, and drama-and books in general-at significantly lower rates than 10 or 20 years earlier. More recent findings attest to the diminished role of voluntary reading in American life. These new statistics come from a variety of reliable sources, including large, nationally representative studies conducted by other federal agencies. Brought together, the data prompt three unsettling conclusions: Americans are spending less time reading; reading comprehension skills are eroding and these declines have serious civic, social, cultural, and economic implications.