Literature reading in the United States: Data from national surveys and their policy implications

Abstract

Who reads literature? Using national survey data, Nicholas Zill and Marianne Winglee analyze the audience for quality fiction, poetry, and drama—its size, potential for growth, demographic composition, and reading preferences. They discuss the factors that affect literary participation and investigate the mechanisms of these effects. They then examine the policy implications of their findings and suggest several ways that publishers, book-sellers, and librarians can use the survey results to increase the reading of quality fiction, poetry, and drama.