Here are a few surprising statistics on books, readers, and literacy.
Reading frequency declines after the age of eight (Scholastic.com).
The more a child reads, the likelier they are to be able to understand the emotions of other (very likely true).
25% of Americans over the age of 16 have not read a book in the last year (Pew Research).
33% of high school graduates never read another book the rest of their lives (a suspect stat, but unfortunately close to the truth).
34% of eighth grade students read at a proficient level (National Center for Educational Statistics — NCES).
42% of college graduates never read another book after college (another suspect stat, not likely true).
46% of adults score in the two lowest levels for literacy (NCES). That means they do not read long text easily.
57% of new books are not read through to the end (alas, close to the truth).
61% of adults in the two lowest literacy levels live in poverty (NCES). Key tip: Learn to read, and learn to read well!
70% of U.S. adults have not been to a bookstore in the last five years (probably close to the truth).
71% of prison inmates score in the two lowest literacy levels (NCES).
80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year (not true, not close to the truth, at least one person in most families reads a book more than once a year).
Reading one hour per day in your chosen field will make you an expert in seven years. Fact: Reading won’t make you an expert. Understanding will make you an expert.
About John Kremer
John Kremer is author of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, the Relationships Matter Marketing program, and many other books and reports on book marketing, Internet marketing, social media, and book publicity. -- John Kremer on Book Marketing.