How many books did you read over the course of the year? The average American read two and a half books a month in 2022, according to new research. A survey of 2-thousand adults finds that only 9% admit to not reading a single book the entire year.
Reading habits revealed by the poll include:
- Throughout the year, nearly half of readers (48%) discovered a new favorite book, series or author, but they all can’t be winners, as 62% also found something they really hated.
- Four in five (83%) also read at least one of the best-selling books of 2022. The best-selling books from “The New York Times” respondents read include “Run, Rose, Run” by Dolly Parton and James Patterson (24%), followed by Stephen King’s “Fairy Tale” (23%) and Nora Roberts’ “Nightwork” (22%).
- It seems there’s not enough time for folks to get to all the titles they want to read, as the average respondent says 35% of the books on their shelves haven’t been read yet.
- We’ve all heard the phrase “never judge a book by its cover,” and 59% say they’re guilty of this, while a third (34%) say they’re more likely to buy a physical copy of a book if it has an aesthetically-pleasing cover.
- Being aware of how many books they already have, 62% say they’re trying to spend less money on new books and are instead buying them used, checking them out from the library or trading with loved ones.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) don’t believe there should be censorship of books and 43% have looked for challenged or banned books to read in 2022.
- The most common banned books respondents have read include “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee (31%), “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll (29%), “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak (28%), “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck (26%) and “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank (26%).
Source: SWNS Digital