Did you know that, in 2025, roughly half of polled US citizens didn’t read a single book?

Oof.

Guys, we’re facing a HUGE problem right now. I see it almost everyday at work, where students struggle to read and understand simple questions (or even directions on the board!). I can’t tell you how many times I need to tell students that the answers to the questions are all in the paragraph they’ve been assigned. All they need to do is read it.

But that’s the problem.

People don’t read anymore! Brainrot and doom-scrolling are becoming a serious issue (one I’m not immune to!). AI is taking over creative spaces and altering how we think. It seems pretty bleak when you’re face to face with it everyday. I have to wonder how I can help students, who are already so far behind, get to even basic reading competency.

“Okay,” you may think. “So why does reading really matter? Most books are just for fun.” Well, let me tell you why. Studies show that over half of US citizens read below a sixth grade level. 1/5 are functionally illiterate. The average American is only reading at a 7th-8th grade level. Reading for fun may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but our ability to comprehend what we read plays a role in our daily lives. Some research suggests that 2.2 trillion dollars are lost every year due to lost productivity and comprehension based mistakes at work. $240 billion in social services was spent due to school dropout rates. And estimates show that, if all Americans were to be at a higher reading level, the United States GDP could increase by 10%! That’s pretty significant, right?

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the fact that a huge contribution to reading levels comes from factors beyond one’s control, such as an immigrant background/linguistic barrier, socio-economic status, and learning disabilities. These factors are important to take into account when looking at these statistics. However, even when excluding these demographics, the statistics above are still significant and can’t be ignored or lessened.

Reading is really important! It affects how we function in our day-to-day lives. We need to read street signs, understand prescriptions, act on instructions from our bosses, send emails to clients, and communicate with our loved ones. It’s not just about fun (I’ll touch on that later), but it’s also about being a productive and effective worker, student, instructor, and partner. All of our lives can benefit from being better readers.

When we look at bleak statistics like the ones I threw at you above, you may wonder what we can do about it. How can we be better than the average American, and help our fellows out in the process?

I propose the simple solution: read for fun!

19% of Americans do 82% of the country’s reading. Don’t let us be the only ones having fun here. If the average American reads between 1-5 books a year, I propose we all try to be better than the average and read six books. And trust me, it’s easy.

Reading can be an expensive, time consuming hobby for some, but there are great ways to get around it. Libraries are an AMAZING resource that need our help. They exist to serve us. The more we use them, the better off they are. And not only do they have physical books, but through apps like Libby, you can access thousands of eBook and audio books for the low low price of free. I read 59 books in 2025, and bought zero of them.

Audio books have changed the way I read. When I started college, it was hard to find the time and motivation to sit down and read something physical. But with audio books, I could listen while I cleaned, or while I walked to class, or even as I got ready for my day. And if anyone tries to say that audio books don’t count, ignore them!

Some people may not know where to jump back into reading. Something I find enjoyable is to reread books that I read when I was younger. In 2022, most of my books were YA. In 2025 I reread The Hunger Games series, and probably enjoyed it more now than I did as a kid. Often times, the games, movies, and shows we like have books about/related to them. There are dozens of Halo novels, tons of Star Wars books, and often times, our favorite pieces of media started as books, like with The Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, Game of Thrones, and other popular TV shows and movies.

Apps/websites like Goodreads, Fable, and Storygraph help keep track of reading progress in a really satisfying way. I love seeing my statistics and watching myself get closer and closer to my reading goals. If you’re goal motivated, or like keeping track of things, try one out!

I think one of the most important things we can do when it comes to reading is to talk about it. Share good books with friends. Post about what you’re reading. Ask for recommendations. Talk to the young people in your life about books, and encourage them to read. Imagine if we shared books with each other like we share Reels or TikToks. Read with friends. Read with family. Maybe find an online book club, or an in person one. Or make your own!

Here are a few quick things to NOT do. Do not use AI to summarize a book and call that reading. It’s become quite popular to use AI to condense a book and claim you’ve read it. This is not reading! AI is not a substitute for a good book! Journey before destination, guys. The whole point is to go on the adventure the book presents.

Don’t worry about what format you digest your books in! Physical, audio, ebook, they all count! What matters is you’re engaging your mind and consuming long-form content. A book is a book, no matter the medium.

Even just 10 minutes a day is better than nothing. An old statistic, but in 2017, Americans 15+ years old spent an average of just 7 minutes a day reading. That number is likely lower now, if the trend has continued. A small amount is far better than nothing! Any time we spend away from our rectangular overlords is a win.

And lastly, don’t make fun of people for what they read! Remember how I said that most Americans are at a middle school reading level? If someone is reading Young Adult books, don’t shame them for that! Sometimes, YA books are even better than ‘adult’ ones. If someone reads mostly romance, that’s cool. Self help books are popular for a reason. Someone may just read those hockey romance books that are really popular right now. And that’s just fine! There are tens of thousands of books out there for a reason.

Hopefully I didn’t depress you too badly at first. Sure, it can be rough to read sucky statistics and wonder how we got to this point as a society. But luckily, there’s something we can do about it. Obviously, this is a very simple glance at the problem and some solutions, but a start is better than nothing. If this is something that you’re interested in learning more about, I encourage you to do more research!

In 2026, I hope that all of us can do our best to be better than the average American. Pick up a book and read. I promise it’ll be worth it.

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Statistics came from the following three sites, which were also linked above when referenced:

https://yougovamerica.substack.com/p/most-americans-didnt-read-many-books

https://testprepinsight.com/resources/us-book-reading-statistics/

https://www.nu.edu/blog/49-adult-literacy-statistics-and-facts/

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This content was written and created by a human, without the use of any artificial intelligence tools. The authors do not authorize this article’s usage in training AI tools. We proudly support the original works of creators and individuals over technology that steals and manipulates original content without consent of creators.