Posted on June 8, 2018 at 1:01 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
A new study reveals that poetry readership has hit a fifteen-year high in the United States.
The National Endowment for the Arts found that 11.7 percent of adults (or 28 million people) read poetry at some point in 2017.
In comparison, the rate was 6.7 percent in 2012, 8.3 percent in 2008, and 12.1 percent in 2002.
Sunil Iyengar, NEA director of research and analysis, opened the press release by mentioning various theories that social media has driven this increased interest in poetry, though he didn’t take a stance on them.
The poetry findings are part of the broader Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, and more results will be rolled out in the coming months.
You can see more demographic breakdowns of the poetry findings on the NEA’s website.