Three in Four Adults Read At Least One Book Last Year

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll recently revealed that three in four adults (73 percent) read at least one book last year. The study consisted of phone interviews with more than 1,000 adults across the United States over a three-day period in August.

Of those who did engage with the written word in 2006, 41 percent read about one to five books, while 27 percent reported reading 15 or more. Religious texts and popular fiction were the most popular choices among the readers.

The poll results also noted other prevailing characteristics of those who had read last year, such as age, gender, location and political affiliation. For instance, women and people aged 50 and up read more than their male and younger counterparts, while people from the West and Midwest were more likely to have read at least one book than those in other parts of the country. Democrats and liberals read slightly more books than Republicans and conservatives.