How Much Do Teens Read?

As the school year closes and summer quickly approaches, teens are starting to search for their summer reading books to get a head start. The following statistics came from a November 2012 survey, polling high school and college students about their reading and literacy habits.

So, How Much Do Teens Read?

Where do you read?

• An actual book (paper): 98.0%
• eReader (Kindle, Nook, etc.): 29.4%
• Online: 16.4%
• On my mobile phone: 13.5%

What are your reading habbits?

• 77.7% of teens say they read at least one extra book per month for personal pleasure that isn't required for school. Nearly a quarter (24.5%) read five or more books per month outside of school.
• 84% of teens have been to a public library in the last 12 months.
• 34.4% of teens see their mothers reading more than their fathers; compared to just 12.5% of teens who see their Dads reading more.
• Nearly 30% of teens rarely see their parents reading.
• Almost 28% of teens see BOTH of their parents reading frequently.
• The majority of teens (63.5%) buy their books from big brand company brick & mortar stores like Barnes & Noble.
• 40.2% of teens have purchased a book online from web retailers like Amazon.com.
• 61.3% of teens say they've borrowed a book from their local library in the last year.
• Because of their ability to read books online for free or borrow them, 31% of teens state they spend $0 per month on books.
• 1 out of 2 teens will buy 1-2 books per month out of their own money spending anywhere from $5 to $20 (per month) on books. On the top end, 12% of teens are buying 3 or more books and spend $30+ per month on average.
• Teens are nearly split 50/50 on whether they label their friends as "book readers" and discuss books together.
• 3 out of 4 teens (74.5% to be exact) have had a parent, teacher, church leader or other older adult recommended an inspirational book to them in the last year.