Fewer hit the books in America

The reading of books is on the decline in America, despite Harry Potter and the best efforts of Oprah Winfrey.

A report released Thursday by the National Endowment for the Arts says the number of nonreading adults increased by more than 17 million between 1992 and 2002.

Only 47% of American adults read “literature” (poems, plays, narrative fiction) in 2002, a drop of 7 points from a decade earlier. Those reading any book at all in 2002 fell to 57%, down from 61%.

NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, himself a poet, called the findings shocking and a reason for grave concern. The likely culprits, according to the report: television, movies and the Internet.

“I think what we’re seeing is an enormous cultural shift from print media to electronic media, and the unintended consequences of that shift,” Gioia said.