The NEA says, “The biggest decline is among people 18 to 24 years old — 28 percent.”

Is anyone surprised by that?

Kristin Kovacic, who teaches writing at the Creative and Performing Arts High School and Chatham College, said ….”My hunch is that people no longer have the habit of mind to be readers. Reading should be a passion. You can’t force anyone to be passionate. You have to build that habit.”

But one of the specific things the article mentions is that people are surfing the internet. I do on the internet what I used to do at the library. I look up information. I even read articles, magazines, newspapers, and books online.

I still buy books because I am a bibliophile, but I buy less at full price.

Do you think most people are reading more on the net? I certainly am. And I am a voracious reader.

Pew says that 77% of people in this age group (18-29) use the internet. Maybe they are getting their reading fixes, even their books read, online.

In a different article, Pew says, “…6% of the entire U.S. adult population (internet users and non-users alike) have created blogs. That’s one out of every 20 people. And 16% of all U.S. adults (or one in six people) are blog readers.”

So, if 77% of 18-29 year olds are on the internet, don’t you think a high percentage of them would read blogs? I read blogs for entertainment and relaxation, as well as for information and education.

Why didn’t NEA look at people reading on the net?