Has America stopped reading?

This is an interesting article from The Columbus Dispatch (written by Tim Madigan) about the decline of reading trends in America.

I'm intrigued by articles like this. Are we really reading less? And if so, what is our reading being replaced by? Why are we reading less? I'm intrigued that "back in the day" a writer like T.S. Eliot could fill a stadium in Minnesota, as this article states. Wow. I don't think even I have lived during a time period where the same would be true, unless you count J.K. Rowling, who is also mentioned here.

The National Endowment for the Arts has done a study which apparently found that less than half of American adults read literature, going on to claim that "at the current rate of loss, literary reading as a leisure activity will virtually disappear in a half century.". That is just sad, sad, and sad! Why aren't people reading?

The statement that struck me the most from this article was this one, made by Dana Gioia, the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts: ". . . [P]eople who read are more likely to exercise and play sports, overwhelmingly more likely to leave the house for a ballgame or to go to the theater or a museum. Readers are overwhelmingly more likely to engage in positive social and civic behavior. From all the data, we see that reading awakens something inside of an individual that brings them more fully in control of their lives." The way I see it, this is the most compelling reason to read, period! Reading changes your life!

Dana Gioia blames an American education system for this steady decline. What do you think? Are Americans reading less because reading skills are not being emphasized in schools and reading for pleasure is not made a priority? Or are there other reasons, such as technology, lifestyle, or finances?

Post your comments here, folks.