Media Trends: Where Have All the Readers Gone?

When a polling organization asked U.S. adults how many books they read (or listened to) in the last year, a surprising gap between avid book readers and the broader public was revealed. In 2024, just 20% of Americans accounted for more than 75% of the nation’s book reading.



Podcast consumption, on the other hand, is on the upswing. The number and variety of podcasts have skyrocketed because they are relatively simple and inexpensive to produce. Even so, highly regarded hosts can attract millions of regular listeners and are well paid as a result. Popular podcast topics include true crime, news and politics, entertainment and pop culture, self-help, and sports, among many others. While some top podcasts are still audio-only, many are now released as videos.

            Number of books read in 2024                                  Number of weekly podcast
              (percentage of U.S. adults)                                      consumers ages 12 and up  
Number of books read in 2024 (percentage of U.S. adults): 38% read 0; 28% read 1 to 4; 14% read 5 to 9; 10% read 10 to 19; 7% read 20 to 49; 4% read 50 or more. Number of weekly podcast consumers ages 12 and up: 27 million in 2015 and 115 million in 2025.

Source: YouGov, 2025 (Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.)                                     Source: Edison Research, 2025

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