The Surprising Hobby People Are Abandoning—Down 40%, New Study Finds Researchers say the drop is "deeply concerning." Close Credit: Crispin la valiente / Getty Images Key Points A new study found that daily reading for pleasure in the U.S. has dropped more than 40 percent over the past 20 years, with only 16 percent of people reading on an average day in 2023 compared to 26 percent in 2003.Researchers warn that this sustained decline in reading could have serious educational and health impacts, since reading is linked to improved well-being across all age groups.Contributing factors include the rise of digital media, economic pressures, shrinking leisure time, and limited access to books and libraries, especially for those facing financial or geographic barriers. Despite the popularity of serial novels by Rebecca Yarros and Suzanne Collins and the uptick in conversations around books on social media platforms like TikTok, people aren't reading as much as you might think. According to a new study from the University of Florida and University College London, daily reading for pleasure in the U.S. has declined by more than 40 percent over the last 20 years. Published in the journal iScience, the study analyzed data from over 236,000 Americans who participated in a time-use survey conducted between 2003 and 2023. According to the findings, 26 percent read for pleasure on an average day in 2003. By 2023, the number had fallen 10 points to 16 percent. The study defined reading material as not only books, but magazines, newspapers, audiobooks, and e-readers. "This is not just a small dip—it’s a sustained, steady decline of about 3 percent per year," Jill Sonke, director of research initiatives at the UF Center for Arts in Medicine and co-director of the EpiArts Lab, said in a statement. "It’s significant, and it’s deeply concerning." This decline can have lasting educational and health consequences. The EpiArts Lab, which uses large data sets to examine links between the arts and health, has previously identified associations between well-being and creative engagement, such as reading. Don't Miss 10 Hobbies for Older Adults That Improve Brain and Body Health 9 Social Hobbies That'll Earn You New Skills—and New Friends "Reading has always been one of the more accessible ways to support well-being," said Daisy Fancourt, a professor of psychology and epidemiology at University College London and co-director of the EpiArts Lab. "To see this kind of decline is concerning because the research is clear: reading is a vital health-enhancing behavior for every group within society, with benefits across the life-course." While the causes of the reading drop weren't outlined in the study, the researchers cite the rise of digital media, growing economic pressures, shrinking leisure time, and uneven access to books and libraries as some of the reasons for the two-decade decline. "Our digital culture is certainly part of the story," Sonke said. "But there are also structural issues—limited access to reading materials, economic insecurity, and a national decline in leisure time. If you’re working multiple jobs or dealing with transportation barriers in a rural area, a trip to the library may just not be feasible." Explore more: News