- Library most frequented by young adults, women and low-income households
- Average U.S. adult attended five movies and five live sporting events
- Age and income among key factors in frequency of activities
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Visiting the library remains the most common cultural activity Americans engage in, by far. The average 10.5 trips to the library U.S. adults report taking in 2019 exceeds their participation in eight other common leisure activities. Americans attend live music or theatrical events and visit national or historic parks roughly four times a year on average and visit museums and gambling casinos 2.5 times annually. Trips to amusement or theme parks (1.5) and zoos (.9) are the least common activities among this list.
2019 Dec 2-15
Average
Go to a library
10.5
Go to a movie at a movie theater
5.3
Attend a live sporting event
4.7
Attend a live music or theatrical event
3.8
Visit a national or historical park
3.7
Visit a museum
2.5
Visit a gambling casino
2.5
Go to an amusement or theme park
1.5
Visit a zoo
0.9
Dec. 2-15, 2019
GALLUP
These data — collected in a Dec. 2-15, 2019 Gallup poll […]
From the article “Despite the proliferation of digital-based activities over the past two decades — including digital books, podcasts, streaming entertainment services and advanced gaming — libraries have endured as a place Americans visit nearly monthly on average. Whether because they offer services like free Wi-Fi, movie rentals, or activities for children, libraries are most utilized by young adults, women and residents of low-income households.” offers the big unknown. Unfortunately, the photo with the girl reading a book is probably the least popular activity.
When I was in high school I went to the library to meet girls. I expect that still exists but free Internet access is the bigger pull. The fact that lower income families have higher library attendance is a clue
This is a wonderful trend and very encouraging! There is very something special about reading a book or periodical, versus listening to sound bites or staring at a computer screen. It encourages contemplation, expands your vocabulary, and goes much deeper into the subject matter.
👍👍 I give it Two thumbs up!
I visited the library so much that I became good friends with the head of the library. I would copy the best parts of any book I had read by hand before I had a computer. I have copied many books by many writers, some especially by Carl G. Jung. I was enthralled by his books and learned a lot from him. When I inherited a relatively small amount of money from my Mother when she passed, I purchased books, because the library only gets books which are a year or so old, and seldom get newly printed books, and I always wanted to stay ahead of the learning curve. I suppose I should have saved that money, but I just couldn’t help myself because I love to learn and will keep learning for the rest of my life. I am worried that the public libraries and their ability to survive, especially under Trump. I support libraries to the best of my ability, financially, even though it does hurt our budget which depends upon Social Security.