Research Paper Beginnings

Thesis:


Despite some views to the contrary, casual reading is in decline, which has had many adverse effects, especially among the younger generations. Both the amount of time spent reading and the depth of reading have been decreasing over the last few decades, which has negatively impacted the creativity of students, their success in education, and their ability to learn and work effectively in careers.






Reading in Decline:


            During recent decades, and especially with the increase in the popularity of television and videogames, the amount of time people spend reading has been dropping. There are many theories as to the cause of this decline, ranging from the perpetual scapegoat of technology – including the aforementioned television and videogames – to the attempts of teachers to turn their students into modern-day “Renaissance men” by overloading them with information and stifling their joy of reading. However, the cause of this decline is not nearly as important as the fact that the decline is occurring. Despite the many signs indicating this trend, there are many people – scholars or other authorities and the general public – who either deny that there is a trend or are simply ignorant of its existence. Therefore, the problem is not to discover what is causing this decline, but rather to make others aware that there is a decline and that it is detrimental to society.


            One of the major indications of the decrease in reading is the amount of money spent on reading materials, which include books, newspapers, magazines, and other sources of literature. One survey of this spending showed that between the years of 2000 and 2007 this spending fell “a precipitous 33 percent” – from $176 to only $118 per household each year (Best Customers 568). Many other similar surveys also reveal this drop in spending. This drastic decline in literary purchases reveals the extent to which the inclination to read is dying out. Other studies are far more direct, such as one performed by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In 2004 they surveyed 17,000 adults concerning their reading habits from the past year. The results were discouraging. The number of people who had read even one piece of literature – not including newspapers or magazines – on their own time had decreased by ten percent from fifty-seven percent in 1982. This drop is even more shocking when looking at the results of young adults in specific. According to the survey: “Among 18- to 24-year-olds, for example, only 43 percent say they've recently read a work of literature on their own time, down from 60 percent in 1982” (The Wilson Quarterly 87). This nearly twenty percent drop in casual reading among the younger generation is a clear indication that reading is in danger and that the trend is increasing primarily among teenagers and young adults.