Despite slowdown, most Americans still reading-poll

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Reports that literature is dead may be premature.

While Americans may be reading less, more than one third of Americans still read more than 10 books in a typical year, according to a new survey.

But One in ten Americans do not read any books in a typical year, according to an online poll of 2,513 adults by market research company Harris Interactive.

Older people read more books than younger generations, with 47 percent of people aged 63 and over reading more than 10 books a year, while just one third of baby boomers, aged between 44 and 62, read as many, the poll showed.

Thirty six percent of adults aged 18 to 43 also reported reading more than ten books in a year, while 6 to 7 percent of respondents in this age group said they read none, the poll found.

Women were also bigger readers than men, with 44 percent reporting they read more than 10 books a year. The most popular genres among females are mysteries, religious books and romance novels.

Only 29 percent of men, by contrast, said they read 10 books or more a year, with history, science fiction and political books the most popular genres, the poll found.