GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The vast majority -- 84% -- of Americans claim to have read all or part of at least one book during the past year, a number that has stayed roughly the same over the past 20 years. On the other hand, despite the recent publicity given to the popularity of book clubs, only 6% of readers claim to participate in book discussion groups.
The September 10-14 poll also finds that Americans can be fairly avid readers. Thirty percent of the public has read between one and five books this past year, and 16% of the public has read between six and ten books. Almost four out of ten have read more than 10 books: Thirty-one percent of the public says it has read between 11 and 50 books, while 7% of the public has read over 50 books during the past year.
Who reads the most?
- 64% of women have read six or more books this year, compared to 42% of men.
- There is relatively little difference in book reading by age: 62% of those aged 50-64 have read six or more books, compared to 55% of 30- to 49-year-olds, and 56% of 18- to 29-year-olds.
- 56% of whites have read six or more books this year, compared to 48% of nonwhites.
- There is, as would be expected, a large difference in book reading by education: 78% of those with a postgraduate education have read more than six books, compared to 71% of college graduates, 58% of those with some college education and only 42% of those with a high school education or less.
Nonfiction Preferred
Americans appear to be most interested in nonfiction reading. When
given a choice, 46% of readers say they read mostly nonfiction
books, compared to 35% who mostly read fiction. Seventeen percent
of readers claim to partake of both genres equally.
The choice between fiction and nonfiction varies depending on a person's age and gender. Fifty-one percent of men prefer nonfiction books, compared to 41% of women.
Interest in nonfiction also increases with age. Forty-seven percent of those between ages 18 and 29 prefer fiction to nonfiction, compared to just 34% of 30- to 49-year-olds, and 28% of 50- to 64-year-olds.
Book Clubs Not Overly Popular
There has been a good deal of publicity in recent months about book
clubs, but only 6% of American readers say they are members of a
book discussion group. That number rises to 8% among women
(compared to 3% of men) and 13% among those with a postgraduate
education (compared to only 6% of college graduates and 2% of those
with a high school education or less).
How Do Americans Pick Their Books?
Despite the fanfare surrounding the impact of Internet book web
sites such as Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, only 1% of
Americans claim they select their books by browsing an Internet
site. Twenty-seven percent of Americans select books based on a
recommendation from someone they know. About that same percentage
choose books by browsing a bookstore or library (26%) or by
choosing an author whose books they like (27%). Only 6% of readers
select books based on reviews they have read.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,698 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted September 10-14, 1999. For results based on this sample,
one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus
3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.
During the past year, about how many books, either hardcover or paperback, did you read either all or part of the way through?
BASED ON -- 839 -- FORM B RESPONDENTS; ± 4 PCT PTS
| None | 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-50 | 51+ | No opinion | MEAN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Sep 10-14 | 13% | 30% | 16% | 31% | 7% | 2% | 17 books |
| 1999 Jul 13-14 | 12 | 24 | 18 | 34 | 10 | 3 | 20 books |
| 1990 Dec 13-16 | 16 | 32 | 15 | 27 | 7 | 3 | |
| 1978 | 8 | 29 | 17 | 29 | 13 | 4 |
Do you read mostly fiction or nonfiction books?
BASED ON -- 755 -- FORM B RESPONDENTS WHO READ IN PAST YEAR; ± 4 PCT PTS
| Fiction | 35% |
| Nonfiction | 46 |
| BOTH EQUALLY (vol.) | 17 |
| OTHER (vol.) | 1 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
Which of the following is the main way you generally select the books you read -- [RANDOM ORDER: Based on a recommendation from someone you know; By choosing an author whose books you like; Based on book reviews you've read; By browsing a bookstore or library; Based on an advertisement you've seen; By browsing an Internet site] or do you select them another way?
BASED ON -- 755 -- FORM B RESPONDENTS WHO READ IN PAST YEAR; ± 4 PCT PTS
| Based on a recommendation from someone you know | 27% |
| By choosing an author whose books you like | 27 |
| Based on book reviews you've read | 6 |
| By browsing a bookstore or library | 26 |
| Based on an advertisement you've seen | 3 |
| BASED ON SUBJECT MATTER (vol.) | 2 |
| By browsing an Internet site | 1 |
| Other | 7 |
| No opinion | 1 |
| 100% |
Do you participate in a book discussion group, OR NOT?
BASED ON -- 755 -- FORM B RESPONDENTS WHO READ IN PAST YEAR; ± 4 PCT PTS
| Yes | 6% |
| No | 94 |
| No opinion | * |
| 100% |
* less than 0.5%
(vol.) volunteered response