A new study of 18-34 year-old males by Hall and Partners for Break Media shows that while new media is an essential part of young men’s lives, books are still in the running. 69 percent of the 500 men surveyed said they could not live without the Internet. Every week guys spend a lot of time staring at screens — they’re text messaging (66 percent are), visiting social networking sites (63 percent) and playing video games (60 percent). But 46 percent of them turn their attention away from the glare to read a book. 46 percent read books — I agree with Matt Staggs, that sounds pretty good.
Until you revisit the good old NEA reports. “To Read or Not to Read” (2007) and its predecessor, “Reading at Risk” (2004) cited drastic declines in reading culture across many demographics. From 1992 to 2002, the percentage of 18-24 year old Americans (not just guys) who read a book that was not required for work or school dropped 12 percent, more than any other group. 25-34 year olds were not far behind, with an 8 percent drop. The “low” numbers that were reached: for 18-24 year olds, only 52 percent read for leisure; with 25-34 year olds, it was 59 percent.
I know the samples are different, that boys are lumped with girls, that the age groups are broken down in one survey and not in the other, and nobody asked the first group whether they were reading those books just for fun or because they had to. But even with all those mystery factors, 46 percent reading is still a smaller percentage than 52 or 59 percent. In other words, 46 percent isn’t so good after all.
But maybe there is hope. The Hall and Partners report is really focused on the online activities and proclivities of young men, who, when it comes to advertising, apparently like funny videos more than anything else. They make several recommendations for online advertisers, and so I share this here. Publishers, take note.
Brands looking for more frequent exposure are better served by crafting smart, brief pre-roll messaging for placement with online video content men enjoy: humorous/prank/spoof videos, full-length entertainment and videos featuring attractive women.
Sigh. The more things change…
(Photo of random Guitar Hero dude from Flickr).
