Americans are reading less for pleasure these days.

That’s according to research from the University of Florida and University College London. And it’s not a little dip - we’re talking a 40% drop in daily leisure reading for people 15 and older over the past two decades. 

This shift is especially prevalent for specific groups, like Black Americans, people with lower incomes, and people in rural areas.  

We dug deeper into the findings from this study... and took a closer look at Seattle's reading habits. 

Guest:


Jill Sonke, co-director of the EpiArts Lab at the University of Florida.


Brooke Bosley, co-founder of the Black Futures Book Club.


Spencer Ruchti, author events manager for Third Place Books.

Related stories
Reading for pleasure in free fall: New study finds 40% drop over two decades News | University of Florida
Fewer People Are Reading for Fun, Study Finds - The New York Times

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes.

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Americans are reading less for pleasure these days.
That&rsquo;s according to research from the University of Florida and University College London. And it&rsquo;s not a little dip - we&rsquo;re talking a 40% drop in daily leisure reading for people 15 and older over the past two decades.&nbsp;
This shift is especially prevalent for specific groups, like Black Americans, people with lower incomes, and people in rural areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;
We dug deeper into the findings from this study... and took a closer look at Seattle's reading habits.&nbsp;
Guest:
<ul>
<li>
Jill Sonke, co-director of the EpiArts Lab at the University of Florida.
</li>
<li>
Brooke Bosley, co-founder of the Black Futures Book Club.
</li>
<li>
Spencer Ruchti, author events manager for Third Place Books.
</li>
</ul>
Related stories
<ul>
<li><a href="https://news.ufl.edu/2025/08/reading-for-pleasure-study/">Reading for pleasure in free fall: New study finds 40% drop over two decades News | University of Florida</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/well/reading-pleasure-decline-study.html">Fewer People Are Reading for Fun, Study Finds - The New York Times</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes" data-stringify-link="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes" data-sk="tooltip_parent">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes.</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

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Has anyone ever asked what you’re reading lately… and you don’t have a book to talk about? That's not just you, according to a study looking at Americans' reading habits.

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