Do Americans read books anymore?

When someone says “reading is dead,” is that really true? Reading for fun has taken a big hit, but what’s really going on here? Teo and guest co-host Katie Campbell look at the data on American reading habits to find the answer, and provide tips for aspiring book nerds to get more pages in. Katie Campbell is KUOW’s book club curator. She has read over 51 books this year so far, but who’s counting?

Correction, 9/8/2026: In this episode, we incorrectly state that adult American gamers spend roughly 90 minutes gaming daily. The correct average time per day for gamers is two hours.

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Sources in this episode:

• American Time Use Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003-2026
• American Time Use Survey Report, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
• The decline in reading for pleasure over 20 years of the American Time Use Survey, iScience, 2025
• A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity, Social Science & Medicine Journal, 2016
• Who doesn’t read books in America?, Pew Research Center, 2021
• Book reading habits in the U.S. vary by education, age and other factors, Pew Research Center, 2026

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