If you are looking for a lasting Christmas present, consider a book, or - a shameless plug here - a subscription to this newspaper, or anything that involves the written word. That's because a recent report shows that reading produces lifelong benefits.
The report, from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), is called "To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence." The report concludes that people who read well:
o are 2.5 times more likely than basic readers to earn $850 or more per week;
o have many more job prospects to choose from than others, especially below basic readers, of which 45 percent are unemployed;
o are much more likely to visit museums, attend plays or concerts, create artworks of their own, play sports, attend sporting events or do outdoor activities;
o are more likely to vote and volunteer or do charity work;
o are much less likely to be in prison, where 56 percent of the population reads at the basic level or below and only 3 percent are proficient readers.
These are amazing findings. This report studied reading proficiency, not merely literacy, and the impact is far greater than just to those who make their living from the written word.
It isn't surprising, though, that the report found - in this modern world of amazing technological innovations - the amount of reading done by youth, and even adults, is declining.
For example, the average person 15 to 34 years old reads for pleasure less than 10 minutes a day. In contrast, the average time spent watching television is more than two hours.
"The story the data tell is simple, consistent, and alarming," wrote Dana Gioia, chairman of the NEA, in the introduction to the report. "Although there has been measurable progress in recent years in reading ability at the elementary school level, all progress appears to halt as children enter their teenage years. There is a general decline in reading among teenage and adult Americans. Most alarming, both reading ability and the habit of regular reading have greatly declined among college graduates. These negative trends have more than literary importance. As this report makes clear, the declines have demonstrable social, economic, cultural, and civic implications."
Gioia cautions that the findings are not necessarily cause and effect. Others take a stronger stance - that Gioia is reading too much into these correlations. For example, people in prison are generally poor and may turn to crime, but also have less access to education as well as good lawyers.
Detractors also point out that new information and communications technology lead to more engaged learning. Reading is not the only, or even the primary, method of gaining knowledge for many young adults today.
The report shows that students are often engaged in other media while reading. Gioia has said this "multi-tasking" is a distraction that inhibits the knowledge gained from reading, rather than enhancing it.
From casual observation, it would appear that the way people, particularly young people, learn is changing. One could argue that they are learning just as much, but in different ways.
Still, our civilization is based on people being able to read well, even for basic actions such as voting or merely getting a job. However much things are changing technologically, our society is still dependent on the written word.
As Gioia points out, this isn't merely a cultural issue that has consequences for literature and the arts. "It is a serious national problem. If, at the current pace, America continues to lose the habit of regular reading, the nation will suffer substantial economic, social, and civic setbacks," he wrote in the introduction to the report.
The report doesn't offer specific remedial policies and it isn't mourning a romantic past that is long gone. Instead, Gioia says it is meant to initiate a serious discussion.
He points out that it is no longer reasonable to debate whether the problem exists. It is time to become more committed to solving it or face the consequences since reading is an activity that is both fundamental and irreplaceable for democracy.
So if you are reading this, congratulations. If your children or peers aren't - and rarely read anything for pleasure - you might want to talk to them about the consequences of their actions. It may just help them function better in society and, if you agree with Gioia's conclusions, even help save civilization as we know it.
