Do college students even read anymore?

Photo Collage by Braylan Enscoe, Staff Photographer

It’s easy to say that in this day and age, no one reads anymore. It’s even easier to place most of that blame on college students, the so-called lazy generation with our eyes glued to a screen instead of having our noses in a book. 

Statistically speaking, there is sufficient evidence that reading rates are gradually dropping off. The National Endowment for the Arts reported that in 2022, based on results from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), only 48.5% of American adults have finished at least one book in the past year. 

If less than half of adults are reading, how many college students are still part of the population that do enjoy a good book? Are there still young people who prefer to pick up a book rather than scroll through their phone? 

For some, reading is too much of a chore. It reminds them of the days when they would be assigned 40 pages of Shakespeare that they didn’t understand. On the other hand, some students are just too busy with classes, work, extracurriculars and required texts to engage in any recreational reading. 

If a student wants to get back into reading for fun — or to start the habit — they should follow their peers’ advice.

Sophomore creative writing major Charlot Born loves to read across all genres. She usually reads upwards of 50 books a year. 

Having been raised by parents who encouraged her to spend time reading every day, Born developed the habit of spending 30 minutes each day with a book. Once she started high school and was launched into harder classes and after-school programs, the time she once spent reading was now busy being filled with other tasks. The same is true for many college students, whose schedules can barely accommodate everything they’re required to do. 

“College students have a lot going on; with school and work and clubs and friends, there’s so many things going on all at once,” said Born. “It’s hard to find time to read, and it can seem daunting to pick up a book and think ‘this is just another task I have to do.’”

She luckily was able to reignite her love of reading with the time spent indoors during the pandemic, and she’s kept it up through college. 

“Now, I try to read as much as possible,” said Born. “Before going to bed, I’ll wake up and I’ll read. Sometimes if I’m waiting for the bus, I’ll bring my book. I’ll read intermittently throughout the day.”

To Born, the key to becoming a reader is to emulate the likes of Rory Gilmore — a book always ready, to be taken out whenever downtime presents itself. 

One essential ingredient to a book that locks readers in is the art of worldbuilding. Readers like Born find that the fantasy genre and specifically fantasy romance — or “romantasy,” as some online fans have dubbed the crossover — novels are a solid choice for newcomers. 

“‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ or ‘Throne of Glass’ were books where I just fell in love with the world,” said Born.

Even if they brought her back to reading, Born’s tactics might not work for everyone. Junior communication studies major Camille DeWilde used to be a book lover, one of the kids that was assigned to the accelerated reading programs in elementary school. She enjoyed books that challenged her, reading titles like “Game of Thrones” in seventh grade. 

DeWilde eventually got burnt out and quit reading completely. 

“Because I was reading the wrong types of books, I think I really fell out of love with reading,” said DeWilde. “I think that’s a pretty common thing that happens with a lot of people, where you don’t always look at reading the right way.”

A lot of students are scared off of the idea of reading by the fear of reading the “wrong” books. This makes sense considering that for most of their education, the curriculum has only encouraged them to read classic literature. There’s nothing wrong with the classics, but if this is the narrow-minded view of books that students are taught, it makes sense that they’re turned off of the idea of reading. 

“If romantasy is your thing, go for it. And sometimes you have to be willing to try and fail, it’s just taking that chance that makes it worth it,” said DeWilde. 

DeWilde credits “A Thorn of Court and Roses” for sparking a newfound appreciation of reading in college, as well as “Red, White & Royal Blue,” which she says “reads like a movie.” While she said she wouldn’t quite call herself a reader, she enjoys sitting down with a good book and carving out some time to read. 

She also finds it helpful to re-read old childhood favorites — she lists “Holes” and “The Outsiders” as great texts to revisit.  

“You can just book out 15 minutes a day,” said DeWilde. “And that’s probably a chapter.”

Senior psychology major Nicoletta Johnson has always loved to read, but being busy has stopped her from reading as much as she’d like to. 

“When I have the time, I love reading and I am a reader,” said Johnson. “During the academic school year, I am not a reader.”

This seems to be a common struggle for many students. How are they supposed to squeeze in the time to read for pleasure, on top of all the other things they are expected to do in a day?

“For me and a lot of people I know, we’re so busy. We don’t really have the time to read all the time,” said Johnson. “With school, you are already doing so much reading. I feel like a lot of people just don’t enjoy reading that much, because in school, you are required to read so much that it just turns people away from reading.”

Johnson feels that she should be devoting more time to reading, because it would be beneficial to her mental health. She admits that she tends to prioritize other things over reading, which seems to be a trend for many who actually enjoy reading.

She recommends making time even when it feels like there isn’t any. Like the others said, just 15 to 30 minutes a day makes a difference and forms a habit. Her favorite book that got her back into reading freshman year — “Love and Other Words.” 

As the SPPA stated, the amount of adult readers is down about eight percent from 2012, and four percent from 2017. Is it time, expectations or just the wrong selection of books? 

At Chapman, there’s still people who love reading. Whether you’re reading as much as you can manage, completing 50-book reading goals on Goodreads or just trying to get back into a healthy habit, reading is an art that might be dying where censuses are concerned, but it’s never too late to pick up a book and try.