Nearly half of Americans didn’t read a book last year

Feb 7, 2024

|

Ola Kowalczyk

Reading books in the United States / Data: YouGov, chart: Statista

46% of Americans were book-free in 2023, while 11% read 20 books or more.

According to a YouGov survey conducted at the end of last year among 1,500 adults, almost half of American adults confessed to being book-free in 2023.

While 46% hadn’t cracked open a book or audiobook, 27% had managed to read between 1 and 5. A more dedicated 11% devoured 20 books or more during the year.

Mystery and crime thrillers proved to be the most popular genres, with 37% and 36% of readers respectively indulging in at least one book of each type.

Poetry, on the other hand, was the least sought-after, with only 8% of readers exploring its pages.

Interestingly, men showed a slightly stronger preference for poetry than women, and younger generations were more likely to delve into its verses.

Below, you will see a simple chart, designed by the team at Statista, with the main findings of the YouGov survey.

Via: 46% of Americans Didn’t Read a Book in 2023 – Statista

• • •

Keep exploring. Here are other tips, lists, and news for thoughtful readers:

Boox Picco vs Boox Palma 2 Pro and Xteink X3: why skipping Android makes sense
At just 58 grams, the Boox Picco snaps to the back of your smartphone to replace doomscrolling with pure reading. By skipping Android in favour […]
How to set up your own, private ebook library (guide)
Looking to move away from your current ebook store? This practical guide explains how to build, store, and manage an independent, DRM-free personal ebook library […]
Buy DRM-free ebooks online – 20 websites to actually own your library
Are you tired of renting digital books from tech giants who change the rules whenever they like? Building a personal library takes some effort, but […]
Multi-modal ebooks are taking over digital publishing (report)
Reading on a screen used to mean staring at flat black text. Now, AI models and interactive media are changing digital books completely. Are we […]

If you don’t want to miss future updates, make sure to get our free newsletter. Let’s also connect via WordPress Reader, Tumblr, Facebook or RSS feed.

If you buy an item via this post, we may get a small affiliate fee (details). We only use the cookies that are necessary to run this site properly (details). Some content uses AI assistance (details).

An extroverted book lover, Ola embraces reading in all forms. She pairs a love of reading with outdoor routines, proving that stories belong everywhere from open trails to e-readers.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

More to explore

Boox Picco vs Boox Palma 2 Pro and Xteink X3: why skipping Android makes sense

Sep 30, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

At just 58 grams, the Boox Picco snaps to the back of your smartphone to replace doomscrolling with pure reading. By skipping Android in favour of a minimal custom OS, it delivers weeks of battery life, instant wakeups, and zero notifications for just $99.99.
How to set up your own, private ebook library (guide)

Aug 27, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

Looking to move away from your current ebook store? This practical guide explains how to build, store, and manage an independent, DRM-free personal ebook library on your own computer.
Buy DRM-free ebooks online – 20 websites to actually own your library

Aug 26, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

Are you tired of renting digital books from tech giants who change the rules whenever they like? Building a personal library takes some effort, but owning your files feels right. Here are the best websites where you can buy modern DRM-free ebooks and keep them on your drive.
Multi-modal ebooks are taking over digital publishing (report)

Aug 12, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

Reading on a screen used to mean staring at flat black text. Now, AI models and interactive media are changing digital books completely. Are we ready for multi-modal reading, or was the old digital page actually enough?

Xteink X3: the ultimate magnetic snap-on pocket e-reader

Looking to attach a lightweight e-reader directly to your smartphone? The Xteink X3 magnetically snaps onto phone cases without blocking camera lenses. This 58g device replaces scrolling with reading. ✨ More

★★★★ Our score: 4/5

Start reading

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

by CAL NEWPORT

I remember when I first encountered Facebook: It was the spring of 2004; I was a senior in college and began to notice an increasing number of my friends talk about a website called thefacebook.com. The first person to show me an actual Facebook profile was Julie, who was then my girlfriend, and now my wife.

“My memory of it was that it was a novelty,” she told me recently. “It had been sold to us as a virtual version of our printed freshman directory, something we could use to look up the boyfriends or girlfriends of people we knew.”

The key word in this memory is novelty. Facebook didn’t arrive in our world with a promise to radically transform the rhythms of our social and civic lives; it was just one diversion among many. In the spring of 2004, the people I knew who signed up for thefacebook.com were almost certainly spending significantly more time playing Snood (a Tetris-style puzzle game that was inexplicably popular) than they were tweaking their profiles or poking their virtual friends.

178 words read…

Get the ebook from Amazon, B&N, or Kobo.

New on Geek Updated

Geek Updated is our sister sister blog, where we share distraction-free tips, lists, and news for thoughtful geeks.

But first, coffee: a practical morning routine for digital detox
"But first, coffee" is a morning digital detox routine of delaying screen and social media exposure until after completing your morning coffee or tea ritual. […]
Pocket tactile hobbies: 12 analog ways to reclaim screen-free wait time
The hardest part of cutting screen time is dealing with muscle memory. Here is a practical everyday guide to pocket-sized analog hobbies that give your […]
Social media escape plan: a practical, no-stress guide
This practical seven-step social media escape plan helps you add physical friction, lower screen time without paid apps, and decouple your real friends from the […]
Digital detox: free cards, templates, charts, and routines
You do not need an off-grid cabin to escape digital fatigue. Real focus requires physical architecture: drop baskets, analogue corners, and tactile cards to reclaim […]

Recent posts

The best new Kindle device of 2026 is a 35-dollar remote control

Oct 7, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

Amazon calls the 2026 Kindle family a complete redesign, but peel back the marketing gloss and you find higher prices for what are essentially fresh colour coats and thinner bezels. Unless you count a $35 remote clicker as a revolution, your older e-reader remains perfectly fine.
Why e-readers belong in your screen-free zone

Sep 30, 2026

|

Ola Kowalczyk

Banning an e-reader from your bedroom makes as little sense as throwing out a digital alarm clock. Screen-free rules exist to eliminate predatory feeds and blue light – not to outlaw books. An e-paper reader is not a distraction engine; it is a quiet, reflective sanctuary for your attention.
Boox Picco vs Boox Palma 2 Pro and Xteink X3: why skipping Android makes sense

Sep 30, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

At just 58 grams, the Boox Picco snaps to the back of your smartphone to replace doomscrolling with pure reading. By skipping Android in favour of a minimal custom OS, it delivers weeks of battery life, instant wakeups, and zero notifications for just $99.99.
The EU is finally admitting Europe has a reading problem

Sep 30, 2026

|

Ola Kowalczyk

Almost a third of European 15-year-olds now struggle to understand basic texts. In response, the European Commission has launched the European Literacy Coalition, aiming to fix deep-seated learning gaps across the continent before reading for pleasure disappears entirely.
Spotify now lets you create audiobooks from EPUB files

Sep 22, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

Creating audio formats usually costs too much money. Now, the Spotify for Authors creation tools let you generate up to five titles at no cost. You upload an EPUB file and pick a voice.
New iOS and Android reading apps from eBooks.com are a solid alternative to Kindle

Sep 12, 2026

|

Piotr Kowalczyk

Ebook platform eBooks.com has just introduced reading apps for iOS and Android, shifting towards open standards and accessible typography. Here is why this platform is relevant for readers who want to truly own their digital book libraries.

Click & Grow biophilic smart indoor garden for your screen-free zone

Add a touch of quiet nature to your screen-free zone. Featuring an automatic self-watering tank and built-in LED grow light timer, this smart, patented indoor garden lets you grow herbs and plants effortlessly. ✨ More

★★★★ Our score: 4/5

Ebook Friendly

A quiet web corner for thoughtful readers

• • •

Let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr.
Add us to your WordPress Reader and RSS feed.