Why Men Don’t Read Any More
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]n alarming new Reading Agency study shows that 63% of men don’t read as much as they think they should and 30% had not picked up a book since leaving high school.
Bestselling author Andy McNab has spoken about the importance of reversing the record-breaking decline in male readership. He says that “It doesn’t matter what they read,” as long as they do not stop because, ‘once they stop they never start again.”
The abundance of digital entertainment means that reading is a declining habit, but the trend is much more severe in males than females. The same study found that 75% of men would opt for the screen version rather than reading the original book, while 75% of women would choose the opposite. Although watching Game of Thrones instead of reading the dense books may be the easier option, but books provide a greater mental stimulation and engagement in the story. The overwhelming trend towards televised productions of books means a loss of personal interpretation and makes for a lazier culture where all the imagining is done for you.
The survey showed that the main reason for the decline in reading is that men do not feel they have enough free time, but more than 20% admitted that they were deterred because they simply did not find reading enjoyable and disliked the amount of effort involved.
Amusingly, 20% also confessed that they had lied about reading a book so as to appear more ‘intelligent.’ It seems that reading is increasingly being perceived as a prestigious and academic pastime rather than leisurely one, despite the abundance of amusing and exciting novels.
Matt Haig, another author concerned by the dropping rates of reading in men feels that marketing is to blame, not content. There are not less books being written for men. “It’s just about making them feel relevant. TV dramas and even video games start with words. Words are the essence of culture. Books are pure essence.” He goes on to say that “without books, civilisation falls into the dark ages. It wouldn’t just be a shame but a catastrophe if half the population stopped reading.”
[pullquote style=”left” quote=”dark”]Books will become increasingly geared towards the larger, more receptive audience: women.[/pullquote] If the fall in male readers continues, publishers and authors will lose their incentive to provide for this audience. Therefore, Haig warns, there is a risk of a “vicious circle.” Haig’s new novel The Humans, is, alongside McNab’s Today Everything Changes, one of the books which were given out for free on World Book Day on 23 April. 250,000 copies of 20 novels, chosen to appeal to those who generally neglect books, were given away. This effort is aimed at encouraging reluctant readers, such as men and teenage boys, to reconsider their aversion to books.
As 35% of the population do not read for pleasure, this attempt to revive reading is crucial indeed.
Comments (1)
I always have a book in my hand or sat to the side of me, but you can rest assured it will be non fiction. Because I know the characters in a fiction book don’t exist I can’t get invested in them and by default don’t vaguely care what happens to them be it good or bad. When it comes to non fiction I am not interested in self help book or books that encourage us to look inwards at ourselves. I simply don’t see the point. I also don’t care about or read books that get you to look at other peoples’ emotions and how you relate to them. Self reflection in my opinion is a complete waste of time, especially when life is so short. I want to learn facts about the world around me, not about myself. That said I have promised my wife that when I run out of non fiction to read, then and only then, will I (possibly) consider reading non fiction.