Who are the real readers?

Question

Many people can read. But how about the people who actually do buy & read books? What kind of books they prefer? Is it men who read more? Is it young people who read more? & what are the most popular topics people read about? Do you know of any statistics made about them in English speaking countries?

Answer 1

Well, romance novels are very popular. Here are some statistics:
Number of Romance Readers
64.6 million Americans read at least one romance novel in the past year.
2002: 51.1 million readers in America
1998: 41 million readers in America

Geography of Romance Readers
29% of the Southern population reads romance
27% of the Western population reads romance
26% of the Midwest population reads romance
12.6% of the Northeast population reads romance

Gender of Romance Readers
78% of romance readers are female
22% of romance readers are male (a significant increase from the 2002 survey that showed only 7% of readers were male.)

Marital Status of Romance Readers
50% of romance readers are married
37 % of romance readers are single
8% of romance readers are widowed
4% of romance readers are divorced
1% of romance readers are separated

Age of Romance Readers
22% are between the ages of 35-44
19% are between the ages of 25-34
18% are between the ages of 45-54
11% are between the ages of 55-64
9% are between the ages of 18-24
8% are 75 and older

For more, please go to the first link below.

Here are some general reading statistics:

"More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level - far below the level needed to earn a living wage.

Approximately 50 percent of the nation's unemployed youth age 16-21 are functional illiterate, with virtually no prospects of obtaining good jobs.

21 million Americans can't read at all, 45 million are marginally illiterate and one-fifth of high school graduates can't read their diplomas.

Nearly half of America's adults are poor readers, or "functionally illiterate." They can't carry out simply tasks like balancing check books, reading drug labels or writing essays for a job.

50 percent of American adults are unable to read an eighth grade level book.

46% of American adults cannot understand the label on their prescription medicine.

In a class of 20 students, few if any teachers can find even 5 minutes of time in a day to devote to reading with each student.

5th grade may read 10 times as many words as poor readers over a school year.

In 1999, only 53 percent of children aged 3 to 5 were read to daily by a family member. Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read aloud to everyday than are children in families with incomes at or above the poverty line.

Students who reported having all four types of reading materials (books, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias) in their home scored, on average, higher than those who reporter having fewer reading materials.

According to the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 37 percent of fourth graders and 26 percent of eighth graders cannot read at the basic level; and on the 2002 NAEP 26 percent of twelfth graders cannot read at the basic level. That is, when reading grade appropriate text these students cannot extract the general meaning or make obvious connections between the text and their own experiences or make simple inferences from the text. In other words, they cannot understand what they have read.

Forty-four percent of American 4th grade students cannot read fluently, even when they read grade-level stories aloud under supportive testing conditions.

15% of all 4th graders read no faster than 74 words per minute, a pace at which it would be difficult to keep track of ideas as they are developing within the sentence and across the page.

56 percent of young people say they read more than 10 books a year, with middle school students reading the most. Some 70 percent of middle school students read more than 10 books a year, compared with only 49 percent of high school students.

15 percent of the population has specific reading disorders. Of these 15 percent as many as 1/3 may show change in the brain structure.

It is estimated that as many as 15 percent of American students may be dyslexic."

Scary, isn't it?

see 2nd link, please

Answer 2

I read and buy books. Sorry I don't have any statistics about English speaking countries. Some prefer mysteries or true stories, others lean towards drama or fantasy. And ofcourse, theres always horror, and romance. A lot to choose from. And don't forget newspapers and periodicals, the bible, etc. I don' t think men read more than women, I think us gals have the edge there. Younger people do read a bit more, adults are too busy raising a family and or working. Senior citizens read a lot if they are homebound and don't get out much. Popular topics are current events, whats in the news, and I think fantasy is more popular in recent years.

Answer 3

I read somewhere that women read more. I've also heard that women read more fiction and men read more non-fiction. The latest I heard was that only 1/4th of Americans read a book last year. Which is sad but not unreasonable.

Answer 4

Library Science classes told me that the majority of people who come to a public library are mothers with small children. Women mostly read fiction and men mostly read nonfiction.

Answer 5

I believe,in my opinion,that the real readers are children.They play a major role in the buying books.Adults are too busy in their own little lives without a break from their harsh daily routine,It is children who actually value books more.

Answer 6

Great question.

I like the self-help books and motivational ones too.
Gentlemen like Napoleon Hill and Robert T. Kiyosaki.

Answer 7

Young ppl read more

Answer 8

the real readers are the writers women & men

Answer 9

young people read more.tht is definite.

Answer 10

dean koontz