Americans average 19 minutes a day reading
The average American reads for pleasure less than 20 minutes a day, according to a new study from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At that rate, it would take most readers nearly a month to finish Divergent.
How people spend their time
Depending on where they live, Americans spend their time:
- Engaging in leisure activities: 4 hours, 27 minutes a day (Utah) to 6 hours, 8 minutes a day (West Virginia)
- Watching TV: 2 hours, 3 minutes a day (West Virginia) to 3 hours, 38 minutes a day (Utah)
- Using a computer for games or leisure: 19 minutes to 31 minutes a day on weekdays and 22 minutes to 37 minutes on weekends
- Reading: 13 minutes a day (most Southern states) to 29 minutes a day (North Dakota)
Americans spend 58 minutes a day on their smartphones, according to a study by Experian. But only half a percentage of people read on their smartphones daily.
Kids spend less time reading
On weekends and holidays, according to the study:
- Teenagers spend just 4 minutes a day reading for pleasure.
- 25- to 34-year-olds read for fun just 8 minutes a day.
- Americans over 75 spend more than an hour a day reading for fun.
Out of time
Given these numbers, how much time are your audience members spending on your messages? (Find out how much time it takes people to read your piece.)
Reach Real Readers
Want more tips and tricks for getting people to read more of your message, read it faster, understand it better and remember it longer?
If so, please join me at Rev Up Readability — our two-day clear-writing workshop on April 1-2, 2020, in Austin, Texas.There, you’ll get more results from the Department of Education’s latest adult literacy test. Use it to get a reality check on how well your readers really read — so you can reach them where they are, not where you wish they’d be.
Save up to $100 with our group discounts.
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Sources: Matt Connolly, “You’ll Be Shocked At How Much Time Young People Spend Reading Each Day,” News.Mic, June 20, 2014
Christopher Ingraham, “10 maps that show how much time Americans spend grooming, eating, thinking and praying,” The Washington Post, June 20, 2014
“American Time Use Survey Summary,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 18, 2014
Heather Kelly, “People use smartphones nearly an hour a day, study says,” CNN, May 29, 2013
“Youths Spend 7+ Hours/Day Consuming Media,” CBS News, Jan. 20, 2010
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