A survey conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by ThriftBooks gathered 2000 Americans to ask them about their summer reading habits. They found that about 3 in 5 respondents wanted their reading choices to make them look brighter, with 56% reading one serious book during the summer to look more intelligent.
Americans read most during the summer
For the summer, 36% of the study participants read to improve their history knowledge, and 2 in 5 read more mysteries than usual. Another 53% plan to read romance books. A more significant portion of men (56%) than women (37%) would focus on romance in the summer. About 73% of men confessed that they used the summer to read books they liked without fearing judgement. This figure was in comparison to 62% of women.
Summer is usually when most people read, and about 50% of the participants plan to add an hour for reading this time.
When asked how they would choose what books to read, about 2 in 5 said they would go for recommendations given by people they know. Another 22% said they would go with book club picks, while 33% went with best-seller lists.
Participants gave a few examples of books they had found interesting even though they’d expected them to be mindless. Some of these were the ‘Plum’ books by Janet Evanovich, ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ by Ray Bradbury and Stephen King’s ‘Desperation’.
According to a ThriftBooks Spokesperson, many books became people’s favorites even when they initially underestimated them. They add that readers have to go past the first page of a book to find out if they like it.
Participants showed a preference for paper books
Researchers sought their opinions on paper copies and online books and found that most respondents preferred to read paperbacks. About 50% said they picked actual books because they like the feel of the pages, 46% wanted to note their progress using a bookmark, while 42% said they prefer them as they give them time away from their phones.
About 52% of the participants preferred to read paperbacks, 46% liked hardcovers, 34% went for e-books, and 23% chose audiobooks.