Percentage of Readers

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by Ben Thornton

The percentage of people that like to read, and the percentage that you see reading when travelling, may well be different!

Agreed. I just don't understand, if you like to read, why you would waste 20 minutes staring out the window. I read the entire Harry Potter Series on the train. Some days I wanted the trip to last longer, because my daugher was young and I couldn't get any reading time at home.

I don't consider someone who reads less than a book a month a reader. That would be like calling someone who has less than a drink a month a drinker. Seems to me it has to be more of a habit than that.

[Ben Thornton]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I don't consider someone who reads less than a book a month a reader. That would be like calling someone who has less than a drink a month a drinker. Seems to me it has to be more of a habit than that.

In days gone by, a lot of monks might have read less than one book a month, but they all had habits. Is someone who has less than one philand a month not a philanderer?

These stats seemed to suggest much less than 50% would fit your "reader" definition, but where in the 1%-50% we get to 12 per annum is not clear.

Perhaps the main point is that we are the elite Be afraid.

[Ravensknight]

Originally Posted by Ben Thornton

Perhaps the main point is that we are the elite Be afraid.

Indeed! The Triple Digit Readers are HERE!

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Out in public, I would say no more than 10% of the people on my train car have their nose in a book or a newspaper. Probably another 20% are listening to ipods. The remaining 70% are doing nothing. It absolutely astounds me. They are just sitting there. Granted, it is only a 20 minute ride, but I am reading while I am waiting for the train, and on the train. I would read walking from the train to work, except there are too many people around. I cannot stand to have nothing to do. I recently put episodes of True Blood (recorded from TV) on my ipod. I forgot my knitting pattern today, and I don't have my kindle. So I will watch I Smell a Rat tonight.

I so hear you about doing nothing. I have ADD; doing nothing just doesn't happen without a major struggle.

[Ben Thornton]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

Indeed! The Triple Digit Readers are HERE!

How do you ride a serpent with only three fingers?

[Maggie Leung]

I edit for a living and support all forms of reading, but downtime (if you can manage it) serves a purpose:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/te...5brain.html?hp

[GraceKrispy]

I read while brushing my teeth, I read while walking down the hallway, I read while cooking dinner (although Iʻm more cautious with the reader than I was with a pbook), I read while watching TV and eating dinner (yeah, my mom always wondered about that one). I read a *lot* compared to every single person I know irl. No one I know reads like me (except maybe my mom, but she does her daily hygiene without a book. I canʻt seem to manage... oh and my 10yo son is turning out like me). I even read while walking around the track (ipod touches and blackberries are great for that... I donʻt recommend that for nature paths or highway walking).

I rarely, however, read in airports. I try, I get started, but I get so distracted people-watching. After all, I am a psychologist

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I read while brushing my teeth, I read while walking down the hallway, I read while cooking dinner (although Iʻm more cautious with the reader than I was with a pbook), I read while watching TV and eating dinner (yeah, my mom always wondered about that one). I read a *lot* compared to every single person I know irl. No one I know reads like me (except maybe my mom, but she does her daily hygiene without a book. I canʻt seem to manage... oh and my 10yo son is turning out like me). I even read while walking around the track (ipod touches and blackberries are great for that... I donʻt recommend that for nature paths or highway walking).

I rarely, however, read in airports. I try, I get started, but I get so distracted people-watching. After all, I am a psychologist

I have a moldy B.S. in Psychology (not even close enough to be called a psychologist) and I also find myself distracted people watching.

[GA Russell]

I suspect that various experts and MR posters alike use the word "reader" when they mean "book reader".

For example, someone who doesn't read 12 books a year may not be what you call a reader, but what if he subscribed to one or two daily newspapers (say, his local paper and USA Today or the Wall Street Journal)? Would you say that he is not a reader because he doesn't read many books?

I go to the McDonald's every morning for a cup of coffee. It has three copies of our local paper seven days a week, and all three are always being read. I doubt that many of the folks there are book readers.

And in regard to the airport terminals, I find the volume they have their TVs set at is so loud, I can't read even though I want to!

[theducks]

I find it hard to read on BART, the train wheel screech is way noisy, even with headphones muffling the noise.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I suspect that various experts and MR posters alike use the word "reader" when they mean "book reader".

For example, someone who doesn't read 12 books a year may not be what you call a reader, but what if he subscribed to one or two daily newspapers (say, his local paper and USA Today or the Wall Street Journal)? Would you say that he is not a reader because he doesn't read many books?

I go to the McDonald's every morning for a cup of coffee. It has three copies of our local paper seven days a week, and all three are always being read. I doubt that many of the folks there are book readers.

And in regard to the airport terminals, I find the volume they have their TVs set at is so loud, I can't read even though I want to!

I don't count my reading of the news as reading. I call it getting the news. I scan headlines, when I see one that interests me I start reading the article, if it doesn't grab me I zip back to scanning headlings. It's rare I find a decent article and even more rare that I find a decent article that interests me.

Reading the instructions on a oatmeal box doesn't count as "reading" for me, either. Neither does scanning the time-honored grafitti on the bathroom wall.

[GhostHawk]

I don't think that 26 men part sounds right.
Heck I know of 3, and thats in North Dakota!

Been to a Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention lately?
Our local one used to run to 500-600 people, over half of them men, and 90% of them read regularly, some of stacks of books much bigger than mine.

1% of the total population, perhaps.

[Sydney's Mom]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I edit for a living and support all forms of reading, but downtime (if you can manage it) serves a purpose:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/te...5brain.html?hp

I agree - it is why I can justify knitting. But exercising? I need to be distracted. If I concentrate on what I am doing, I wouldn't do it!

[Scott Nielsen]

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I read while brushing my teeth, I read while walking down the hallway, I read while cooking dinner (although Iʻm more cautious with the reader than I was with a pbook), I read while watching TV and eating dinner (yeah, my mom always wondered about that one). I read a *lot* compared to every single person I know irl. No one I know reads like me (except maybe my mom, but she does her daily hygiene without a book. I canʻt seem to manage... oh and my 10yo son is turning out like me). I even read while walking around the track (ipod touches and blackberries are great for that... I donʻt recommend that for nature paths or highway walking).

I rarely, however, read in airports. I try, I get started, but I get so distracted people-watching. After all, I am a psychologist

Your reading seems obsessive. What's the diagnosis?

[Scott Nielsen]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

I just don't understand, if you like to read, why you would waste 20 minutes staring out the window.

They could be cogitating or zoning out. Both useful exercises.