Number of books read in the U.S. 2021

A survey held in the United States in early 2021 found that 23 percent of all participants had not read any books in the twelve months running to the survey, whereas 18 percent of adults reported having read more than 20 print, audio, or e-books in the last year. The share of respondents who had read 20 books or more grew consistently between 2018 and 2021.

Number of print, electronic, or audiobooks read in the last 12 months in the United States from January 2018 to February 2021

Characteristic	None	1 book	2-3 books	4-5 books	6-10 books	11-20 books	More than 20 books	Don't know	Refused to answer
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

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Release date

September 2021

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

January 2018 to February 2021

Number of respondents

1,502 respondents

Age group

18 years and older

Method of interview

Computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI)

Supplementary notes

Question: During the past 12 months, about how many books did you read either all or part of the way through? Please include any print, electronic, or audiobooks you may have read or listened to.
Figures may not add to 100 percent due to rounding. Data for 'refused to answer' for years 2019 and 2021 missing as the source did not provide an exact figure, but noted that the share was under 0.5 percent.

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