King Solomon said, “Of making many books there is no end,” (Ecc. 12:12) and that continues today, but is anyone reading them?
Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #279 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.
Literary surveys and industry trackers report that roughly 50% to 60% of books purchased are never read to completion. This behavior is so universal that it shares a specific Japanese term—tsundoku—which means acquiring reading materials and letting them pile up.
Consumer studies indicate that up to 80% of books in a typical heavy buyer's physical stack remain on the "To-Be-Read" shelf.
Data from the Pew Research Center and YouGov outlines exactly how many books Americans read over a 12-month period:
• 38% of American adults read 1 to 5 books per year.
• Another 25% to 40% do not read any books at all over the course of a year.
• Remaining readers account for roughly 13% reading 6 to 10 books, and 24% reading more than 10.
When evaluating leisure time dedicated to consuming information or media, audio/visual and screen-based content heavily dominates print. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey:
Audio/Visual & Digital (TV, Streaming, Social Media, Video Games)—Average daily time ~3 hours and 7 minutes, and approximate share of media time 92.1%
Print & Books (Reading of books, magazines, or newspapers)—Average
daily time ~16 minutes, and approximate share of media time 7.9%
The shift in how Americans consume information—moving away from deep print reading toward rapid audio-visual consumption—is fundamentally reshaping the nation's political landscape. As text-based literacy yields to video feeds, social media snippets, and cable news commentary, both the mechanics of political communication and the core values of the electorate are undergoing a profound transformation.
Historically, in a political culture built on print media, arguments required structure, evidence, and logical progression. Today, the decline of book and long-form reading has forced political communication to adapt to shorter attention spans. Political messaging is now optimized for the “scroll,” relying heavily on emotional resonance rather than policy substance. Information is primarily shared through short-form video and highly visual infographics.
This shift has altered political discourse in several ways:
• The Loss of Nuance: Complex policy debates, such as fiscal legislation or foreign diplomacy, usually cannot be adequately summarized in a 60-second clip or a single image. Consequently, policy discussions are flattened into oversimplified, black-and-white narratives.
• Algorithmic Outrage: Audio-visual platforms rely heavily on engagement algorithms that prioritize high-arousal emotions like anger and fear.
Political actors quickly learn that a provocative, visual soundbite spreads exponentially faster than a nuanced, written policy paper.
• Decline of Shared Facts: Print journalism historically enforced rigid editorial standards.
The democratization—and fragmentation—of video content means voters can live in entirely separate informational ecosystems, watching totally different versions of reality with zero common ground.
Beyond changing how information travels, the decline in reading directly influences the civic values that voters adopt. Deep reading is an active cognitive process that trains the brain in critical thinking, patience, and perspective-taking. Its decline has cleared the path for a different set of political impulses.
• Decreased Tolerance for Complexity: Reading books requires sustaining attention through conflicting ideas and slow developments. Without this cognitive exercise, voters increasingly demand immediate, simple solutions to deeply systemic societal issues. This fosters an environment where populism thrives, as complex economic or social anxieties are blamed on easily identifiable scapegoats.
• The Rise of Affective Polarization: Literary fiction and narrative non-fiction have been shown to build empathy by forcing readers to inhabit the minds of people unlike themselves. The retreat from books reduces this cross-cutting empathy. Politics becomes less about competing ideas for the public good and more about tribal identity—an "us versus them" dynamic fueled by hyper-visual, mocking political memes.
• Vulnerability to Disinformation: Evaluating text requires a degree of media literacy, checking sources, and cross-referencing claims. Audio-visual media, by contrast, feels instinctively true because human brains are wired to believe what they see and hear. Deepfakes and highly edited videos exploit this vulnerability, eroding public trust in institutions and the democratic process itself.
Generational reading data reveals that how people discover books, why they read, and their preferred formats differ wildly by age.
Despite common fears that screens have ruined Gen Z's (Ages 14–29) attention spans, data shows they are fueling a resurgence in physical book buying and library visits. Driven by a desire for a "third place" to escape loneliness, physical indie bookstores and library checkouts among this group are spiking.
Historically, Millennials (Ages 30–45) read and buy the highest number of books per year of any generation. They are the ultimate hybrid readers, effortlessly switching between print, e-readers, and audiobooks depending on their lifestyle. Millennials are the highest consumers of audiobooks.
Gen X (Ages 46–61) consumes the most online news, digital articles, and current events text rather than just books.
Baby Boomers (Ages 62–80) strongly favor physical, printed books over digital screens, viewing reading as a dedicated, leisure-time activity rather than something to fit into multi-tasking windows. Boomers read more consistently day-to-day than younger generations.
The Silent or “Greatest” Generation (Ages 81–98) spends the most total time reading per day of any demographic group. Reading is treated as a primary daily activity rather than an afterthought, often linked to keeping the mind sharp and staying informed on current affairs.
The political preferences of Gen Alpha (Ages 1-13) and Gen Z represent a radical departure from the frameworks that define the Baby Boomer electorate. Boomers are grounded in traditional institutions, party loyalty, and Cold War-era metrics of patriotism. Younger cohorts are driven by digital anti-establishment skepticism, hyper-specific policy issues, and an aesthetic-first informational environment, and are deeply cynical about the political system as a whole, trusting political parties less and demanding systemic overhauls.
Some 65% of Boomers believe the US is the greatest country in the world, while 65% of Gen Z believe the US is no greater than other nations. For example, younger women have surged toward explicit progressive activism, while a significant portion of young men have pivoted toward conservative populism as a form of cultural rebellion. Younger generations place significantly less emphasis on "always obeying the law" as a hallmark of good citizenship compared to Boomers.
Boomers vote. Gen Z favors direct action, boycotting, and protests to force change.
While previous generations have shown standard political gender gaps, Pew Research Center data and global tracking reveal that Gen Z men and women are moving in completely opposite ideological directions. A staggering 37-point gender gap now exists within Gen Z party identification. Gen Z women skew heavily toward the political left, while Gen Z men have shifted markedly toward the center and the populist right.
Young women are leaving traditional religious institutions at a higher rate than men due to disagreements over social issues, and dating habits are shifting as shared political values become an uncompromising requirement for relationships
Political engagement is increasingly driven by spectacle, identity, and emotion—cynicism, angst, anxiety—rather than deliberation, evidence, and debate. Not a good trend for a democratic republic.
Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. For more Christian commentary, see my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com, or check my YouTube channel @DrRexRogers.
And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2026
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