When was the last time you finished a book from start to end, without reaching for your phone halfway through a chapter? If you can't quite remember, you're far from alone.
Over the past decade, the way we read has quietly transformed. And the numbers behind that shift are more striking than most people realize.
The rise of digital technology has reshaped almost every corner of daily life, and reading may be one of the biggest casualties. Younger generations, especially millennials and Gen Z, increasingly gravitate toward the short, visual content of social media and online platforms rather than traditional books or longer texts.
This isn't a local quirk, either. Surveys point to reading habits shifting in step with international trends. Research from 2021 found that reading time among 18 to 24-year-olds dropped significantly, while it stayed relatively stable among those over 45.
Instead of books, young people increasingly reach for their phones and tablets whenever they want something to read.
The scale of the change is hard to ignore. According to a wider 2020 study, the share of adults who read a book regularly, at least once a week, fell from 25 percent to 13 percent since 2005. One of the most common reasons cited was simply a lack of time, but many people admitted they now choose other forms of entertainment over books entirely.
Reading no longer feels like relaxing
Our shifting work and lifestyle patterns play a big role, too. With the pace of life accelerating and workplace pressure mounting, people are tired and drained at the end of a long day, so they often reach for lighter, instant entertainment instead.
But interest in the written word hasn't vanished. It has simply changed shape. People are increasingly drawn to shorter, more digestible pieces, like online articles, rather than settling in with a novel.
If you're trying to rebuild the habit, it can help to start with something light and enjoyable rather than a demanding classic. A few easy, feel-good reads can do more to reignite the spark than any reading challenge.
Cost may be part of the picture as well. Rising book prices, alongside the growing dominance of digital books, are also shaping how we read. E-books can widen access, but for many they still don't replace the tactile pleasure of a physical page.
Efforts to lure readers back to traditional formats have had mixed results. Library traffic has largely stagnated in recent years, but initiatives like reading picnics and community book clubs offer a genuine reason for hope.
Can we reverse the trend?
Here's the reassuring part: this shift isn't necessarily a decline. The way we read is evolving, as it always has, and change doesn't automatically mean loss.
If anything, it's an invitation to find fresh ways to rediscover the joy of reading, whether that happens on paper or on a screen. The format matters far less than the fact that you keep turning the page.
Sometimes rekindling that love starts closer to home than you think. Passing the habit on, even through simple tricks to get kids reading, can help keep the story going for the next generation.
Why are people reading fewer books than before?
The main reasons are a lack of time, exhaustion after long workdays, and the pull of quick, instant entertainment. Many people now choose other pastimes over books altogether.
Are younger generations reading less than older ones?
Yes. Research shows reading time among 18 to 24-year-olds has dropped significantly, while it has stayed relatively stable among people over 45.
Have people stopped reading entirely?
Not at all. Interest in reading hasn't disappeared, it has simply changed form. People increasingly favor shorter, more digestible content like online articles over longer texts.
Can the decline in reading be reversed?
It doesn't have to be seen as a decline at all. Community initiatives like reading picnics and book clubs show promise, and rediscovering reading, on paper or screen, is still very much possible.
