Reading for Pleasure in 2021 and Beyond

Leisure Reading in 2021 and Beyond📚

Reading for Pleasure in 2021 is a short blog post about how reading habits have been impacted by the pandemic, why it isn't the only event we should be focusing on when making forecasts regarding reader habits, and how leisure reading will probably continue in the near future as younger generations struggle with a plethora of stressors.

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I've been doing a lot of research into reading habits, especially in terms of reading for fun (in particular, reading fiction for fun), in the past couple of weeks in preparation of a project I'm tackling. Evidently, in a pandemic, reading habits will present themselves in a different light relative to reading habits during normal, day-to-day life. That being said, while the initial pandemic scare of the first six months has died down and more people are easing back into their regular lives, helped in no small way by the presence of vaccines, reading habits might be expected to transform back into their pre-pandemic ways. 

 

Leisure Reading Spikes Aren't Pandemic-Exclusive

In short, I believe that reading for pleasure will become increasingly popular in the future, and therefore surpass the trends seen pre-pandemic, because younger generations turn to hobbies that can help them escape the troubles of daily life more so than previous generations (see here), and because the way things are going world-wide, many young people are dealing with the stress and fear of what the future might hold for us. 

According to Global English Editing, around 35% of the world reads more due to the pandemic - but this does not mean that the pandemic is the only reason. It's important to realize that while the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly had an impact on reading habits across the board, it does not exist in a vacuum and is most certainly not the only thing that would cause people to turn to escapist activities (such as leisure reading). Violent conflicts around the world, environmental concerns, economic and financial troubles, as well as a turbulent sociocultural time are all stressors on the people's minds, and thus to cope with the confusion and concern that these issues bring up, leisure reading is just one of many methods (others being playing video games, participating in social media communities, or turning to more artistic endeavours, for example). This, in addition to the way that the coronavirus pandemic impacted the world, is more than enough reason to expect that trends of coping through escapist activities like leisure reading will persist around the world beyond 2021.

While attempting to cope with the frankly ridiculous number of stressors humans have to deal with on a daily basis, regardless of where they are living in the world, many people will turn to entertainment as a form of distraction. Some will turn to problem-solving, in that they will attempt to fix whatever it is that is stressing them out and worrying them, either as individuals or as communities. Activism, as we've all seen, has been on the rise in recent months, as entire communities around the world rally together to bring an end to various injustices. The interconnectedness of the world through the internet and social media makes it so that it is impossible for most people to avoid or remain ignorant about the many issues plaguing communities around the globe. But many people, understandably, hesitate to turn to such activities as activism or other means of problem-solving, and therefore turn to what they feel they can do - create and engage with escapist content, like fiction books or video games.

(Edit: Reading can also straddle the line between problem-solving and coping with stress, as many readers enjoy turning to books to better understand many of the issues they face. For example, many readers were willing to read books about infectious diseases, pandemics, and viruses during the pandemic, and a quick browse through various book bloggers and book-related social media accounts will show that many book recommendations presented often have to deal with issues that are in the spotlight at that point in time, such as civil rights movements or ongoing conflicts.)

It is for this reason that reading for pleasure and as a coping mechanism is continuing as a strong trend in 2021, and will probably continue in the future as more issues act as stressors to the minds of people around the world.

There is so much more to say about this, including genre breakdowns, formats, age groups and habits, etc. As I delve more into this topic, I may write more posts about the reading and book trends I come across in my research, and hope that it might be of value to any readers who stumble upon it.