2020 may have been the perfect year for reading, but research suggests that 2021 could see the same surge in reading. While it may seem unlikely to think that so many readers will continue to set aside time for reading when the world goes 'back to normal,' recent studies support a potential extension in positive reading trends.
There are three factors, in particular, that make us think 2021 will not see a decline in reading.
People Are Becoming More Accustomed to Leisure Time
Quarantine has done much more than keep families safe from the pandemic. It has also taught us to slow down our busy lives and make room for more important matters that support our health - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Among those leisures were exercising, games with family, and catching up on TV shows. Most importantly, reading!
Market Watch reported a decline in focus on work and more interest in free-time activities than before the pandemic, stating that they "expect this trend to continue or even accelerate. People will have become accustomed to having more time not working." An increasing number of people have "discovered that they don't need to work quite so hard to maintain a more than satisfactory lifestyle."
With more leisure time comes more time for self-care in the form of a great new book.
Reading Wasn't Becoming the Vanishing 'Pastime' We Believed
Another significant indication that reading is more likely to maintain or increase in 2021 is that reading trends were already defying the odds. Many people thought reading was heading in the direction of decline before the 2020 pandemic surge, with mainly the older generations being active participants. However, research says otherwise.
Statista recently revealed that as of 2019, surveys "found that 81 percent of adults aged between 18 and 29 years old had read a book in any format in the previous year. The survey results showed that adults within this age category were more likely than older respondents to have read a book within the last twelve months." That puts books in more millennial and Gen Z hands, keeping this 'vanishing pastime' safely in our future.
A Reason For a Decline in Sales in 2020 Could be a Reason For an Increase in 2021
Book sales took a hit due to the COVID-19 outbreak, despite the significant increase in reading among the many quarantined. According to Statista, book sales dropped as low as 163 million in April, with a small increase to 431 million in July. Compared to July sales of 572 million in 2019 and 611 million in 2018, you might think spells bad news.
However, while some book sales have been hurt by the pandemic closures and a decrease in bookstore shoppers, 2021 is more likely to see an increase in sales (and presumably reading) as more people are comfortable making the trip to a local bookstore.
In 2020, many readers got a taste of the sweet bliss of literature, and it isn't an easy treat to put down. One book is never enough.
Reading Into 2021
2020 gave life to many great books and literary voices. Fortunately, the future still looks bright for the book industry and we may see the beginning of more reading surges in the coming years. As Emma Thompson said, "I think books are like people, in the sense that they'll turn up in your life when you most need them." And who doesn't need a good book to start the new year off, right?
