{"id":95138,"date":"2012-04-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-04-05T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2012\/04\/05\/why-people-like-to-read\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:13:24","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:13:24","slug":"why-people-like-to-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2012\/04\/05\/why-people-like-to-read\/","title":{"rendered":"Why people like to read"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"infographic aligncenter\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/media\/Infographics\/Report-Infographics\/2012\/14---The-rise-of-e-reading\/Why-people-like-to-read_wordle.jpg\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In our recent report on the <a href=\"http:\/\/libraries.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2012\/04\/04\/the-rise-of-e-reading\/\">rise of e-reading<\/a>, we asked those who had read a book in the past 12 months to tell us what they like most about book reading. They gave a host of reasons that ranged from the highly practical to the sublime.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"disc\">\n<li>26% of those who had read a book in the past 12 months said that what they enjoyed most was learning, gaining knowledge, and discovering information.<\/li>\n<li>15% cited the pleasures of escaping reality, becoming immersed in another world, and the enjoyment they got from using their imaginations.<\/li>\n<li>12% said they liked the entertainment value of reading, the drama of good stories, the suspense of watching a good plot unfold.<\/li>\n<li>12% said they enjoyed relaxing while reading and having quiet time.<\/li>\n<li>6% liked the variety of topics they could access via reading and how they could find books that particularly interested them.<\/li>\n<li>4% said they enjoy finding spiritual enrichment through reading and expanding their worldview.<\/li>\n<li>3% said they like being mentally challenged by books.<\/li>\n<li>2% cited the physical properties of books \u2013 their feel and smell \u2013 as a primary pleasure.<\/li>\n<li>In their own words, respondents were eloquent and touching. One respondent noted: \u201cI am an English teacher, so I read to save my sanity from grading essays.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who talked about quiet entertainment tended toward phrases like \u201ca stress-free escape,\u201d \u201ca nice way to relax,\u201d \u201cI read because it\u2019s not work,\u201d \u201cdiverting, entertaining and educational,\u201d and \u201cIt draws me away from reality.\u201d That was echoed by a respondent who said reading \u201ctakes you away, like a movie in your head.\u201d One wryly said he liked reading \u201cbecause it helps me with my temper and relaxes me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who talked about personal enrichment used phrases like \u201cbeing able to experience so many times, places, and events.\u201d Others expressed pleasure at living a \u201clife of the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many, reading was a proud lifestyle choice: \u201cIt\u2019s better for me to imagine things in my head than watch them on TV.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One compelling summary thought came from a respondent who declared: \u201cI love being able to get outside myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visit our report for more on the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/libraries.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2012\/04\/04\/the-rise-of-e-reading\/\">rise of e-reading<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/libraries.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2012\/04\/04\/part-2-the-general-reading-habits-of-americans\/\">the general reading habits of Americans<\/a>; and browse through the host of resources on the new libraries section of our site: <a href=\"http:\/\/libraries.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/\">libraries.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Asked to tell us what they like most about book reading, those who had read a book in the past 12 months gave a host of reasons that ranged from the highly practical to the sublime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","relatedPosts":[],"reportMaterials":[],"multiSectionReport":[],"package_parts__enabled":false,"package_parts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"bylines":[],"acknowledgements":[],"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[324,317,453],"tags":[],"bylines":[],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"level_of_effort":[],"primary_audience":[],"information_type":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[458],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[],"research-teams":[526],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-95138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-e-reading","category-gaming","category-leisure","formats-report","research-teams-internet"],"label":false,"post_parent":0,"word_count":380,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2012\/04\/05\/why-people-like-to-read\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"report_materials":"","report_pagination":{"current_post":null,"next_post":null,"previous_post":null,"pagination_items":[]},"parent_info":{"parent_title":"Why 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