Who Stopped Reading? 20 Years of US Data Clears Gen Z
AuthorWings Research Team, November 2026. Free to use with credit and a link to https://authorwings.com/reading-statistics/

FILES
1. atus_reading_by_age_2004_2025.csv
   Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey, activity summary files (activity code t120312, reading for personal interest).
   year, age_group, avg_minutes_per_day (weighted), margin_95pct_minutes (approximate), pct_reading_on_average_day, margin_95pct_points, respondents, weight_used (TU06FWGT for 2004, TUFINLWGT otherwise).
2. naep_read_for_fun.csv
   Source: NAEP Long-Term Trend data service, variable S003501 (how often do you read for fun on your own time), 1984 to 2025.
   age, year, sample (R1 = original format to 2004, R3 = revised format from 2004), answer, pct.
3. us_public_library_circulation_2014_2024.csv
   Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, administrative entity files, 50 states and DC.
   Checkouts in millions. FY2024 digital totals are undercounted (libraries serving about 21% of the population did not report them).
4. google_trends_us_yearly_averages.csv
   Source: Google Trends, United States, monthly data averaged by year. Each term is on its own 0 to 100 scale; compare each term only with itself. 2026 = January to October.

LIMITS
Reading for personal interest includes books, newspapers, magazines and audiobooks. 2020 time-use data not used (COVID-19). Teen samples are small (about 190 to 400 a year).
