The Lamentable Decline Of Reading The Editorial Board

Author: The Editorial Board Source: Financial Times The tendency to endlessly scroll on social media is indeed a global phenomenon, not just in India. It is eating into other productive activities including reading. This editorial in the FT cites studies which show a dramatic drop in reading habits. “…an extensive US study found that just 16 per cent of people spent any leisure time reading during an average day, down from 28 per cent two decades ago. Researchers from the University of Florida and University College London, who analysed round-the-clock diaries from 236,000 Americans, were right to express concern about their findings.

They corroborate other evidence from the US and elsewhere that people are giving up reading in favour of activities such as endless scrolling through social media or watching short videos on TikTok, Instagram and... Neuroscientists and social psychologists cite many benefits of becoming absorbed regularly in a book or newspaper, from improved mental health and wellbeing to educational and cultural enrichment. Listening to audiobooks — a fast-growing publishing sector — provides similar benefits to reading on paper or a tablet.” https://www.ft.com/content/583de986-a295-4697-a2fe-3c6b13c99145 The lamentable decline of readingChildhood encouragement, libraries and government support can reverse the trendTHE EDITORIAL BOARDAdd to myFT Institutions such as Boston Public Library face a challenging environment, with fewer Americans reading for pleasure and federal funding cuts that target libraries © UCG/Getty ImagesThe lamentable decline of reading on x (opens in...

Savecurrent progress 85%The editorial board 263Print this pageUnlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. It’s become commonplace for conservatives to complain about the books assigned in schools and universities. But according to a piece published by The Atlantic this week, the bigger issue isn’t which books are read by students, but instead whether they read them at all. Journalist Rose Horowitch spoke to 33 professors from leading US universities — and the picture she pieces together is a disturbing one. Students today are increasingly unable to manage entire books.

In response, courses are cutting down on reading requirements and teaching through excerpts . Is this a case of modern academia pandering to fragile — but very lucrative — students? Perhaps, but this isn’t just happening in the ivory towers. According to America’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, there has been a long-term decline in the number of 13-year-olds reading for fun. In 2023, 14% reported doing so almost every day compared to the 27% recorded in 2012. Meanwhile, in the UK a study for the Reading Agency found that half of adults do not regularly read for pleasure — a total composed of 15% who never did and, more ominously, 35%...

Or you can just look around the next time you’re on a train. How many of your fellow passengers are reading a book? Many fewer than in previous decades, despite the greatly reduced competition from newspapers. Dear reader, you are part of a dwindling group. Around the world fewer people are reading books, newspapers or magazines for pleasure, whether in print or on digital devices. Laments about the decline grew louder this week, as an extensive US study found that just 16 per cent of people spent any leisure time reading during an average day, down from 28 per...

Researchers from the University of Florida and University College London, who analysed round-the-clock diaries from 236,000 Americans, were right to express concern about their findings. They corroborate other evidence from the US and elsewhere that people are giving up reading in favour of activities such as endless scrolling through social media or watching short videos on TikTok, Instagram and... Neuroscientists and social psychologists cite many benefits of becoming absorbed regularly in a book or newspaper, from improved mental health and wellbeing to educational and cultural enrichment. Listening to audiobooks — a fast-growing publishing sector — provides similar benefits to reading on paper or a tablet. © The Financial Times Ltd 2025 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.

People Also Search

• The lamentable decline of reading - Financial Times
• The Lamentable Decline of Reading - RealClearPolitics
• The lamentable decline of reading - The Editorial Board
• Short read: The lamentable decline of reading - Marcellus
• The Lamentable Decline of Reading | PDF | Books - Scribd
• The lamentable decline of reading - profesor - 博客园
• The decline of book-reading is more serious than we think
• Is the decline of reading making politics dumber? - The Economist
• The lamentable decline of reading - FT中文网
• Financial Times: " The lamentable decline of reading on.ft.com/3JNqX9y ...