Rachel Noorda, Portland State University – Reading Behavior Versus Reading Identity for Gen Z and Millennials

Do you consider yourself a reader?

Rachel Noorda, associate professor and director of book publishing at Portland State University, says many don’t when they should.

Rachel Noorda is associate professor of English and director of book publishing at Portland State University. She and her colleague Kathi Inman Berens study crossmedia consumption and identity behaviors.

Reading Behavior Versus Reading Identity for Gen Z and Millennials

Identifying with an activity is different from actually doing it. So identifying as a reader is different from actually reading.

My colleague Kathi Inman Berens and I are book publishing researchers, and we study Gen Z and millennial reading behaviors and identities. Surprisingly, we found that the 43% of Gen Z and millennials in the US who don’t identify as readers typically read more print books per month than their generational cohorts as a whole.

The question is: why do young people who are reading not identify as readers? And what is the value of identifying as a reader?

Gen Z and millennials might not identify as readers because they think what they read doesn’t “count” or qualify as “real” reading. Years of national reports that define reading as reading a literary fiction book start-to-finish for leisure have missed many reading behaviors of Gen Z and millennials: comics, manga, and graphic novels; nonfiction reading for school, work, or self-improvement; and genre fiction like romance, horror, sci-fi and fantasy.

We find that community is a central component of reader identity. Gen Z and millennials who are readers are more likely to be writers and fans, because these identities reinforce each other. Gender and socio-economic demographics also impact who feels comfortable identifying as a “reader.” Gen Z and millennials who identify as readers are more likely to be women and have higher incomes. 

Our research suggests that readerly identity and reading behavior are not as synonymous as some might think. We predict that the more that we can encourage a range of texts to “count” as reading, foster bookish communities, and reach out to different demographic groups, the more young people who are reading will feel comfortable claiming the identity of “reader.”

Read More:
Gen Z and Millennials Library Use 2022

Immersive Media and Books 2020

Gen Z and millennials are still big fans of books – the Conversation

Gen Z and millennials have an unlikely love affair with their local libraries – the Conversation

Immersive Media and Books 2020 – Publishing Research Quarterly