To Read or Not to Read: Adult Reading Habits and Motivations

Reading is a cultural activity valued by most members of society though not practised by all despite the real and perceived benefits; cognitive, social and pyschological. To read or not to read is a unique study, exploring how reading habits develop; factors affecting this development and why some adults choose to read for leisure or not. It draws from various disciplines: psychology, sociology, market research, education, literacy studies, and biographies/autobiographies; and empirical evidence. It contains a detailed ethnographic study, extensive individual quotes, and an analysis of reading habits, including reading values and outcomes, and choice and acquisition of reading materials. The book illustrates ways in which reading constructs and habits are shaped by an individual¿s environment and suggests that by adolescence an individual¿s reading construct has become a core construct, affecting perception of reading behaviour and skills. This book will be of interest to anyone involved with reading, particularly educationalists, parents, psychologists and those working in the field of literacy studies.