On December 20th, the Pew Research Center‘s Internet & American Life Project released a thought provoking study of “Reading habits in Different Communities” in the United States.

It appears that only 78% of Americans ages 16 and older report reading a book in the past 12 months. While urban and suburban dwellers report that 80% have read a book, only 71% of residents in rural areas have done so.

At least the survey shows that 58% of U.S. adults still have a library card, although that figure drops to 48% in rural areas.

This excellent infographic sums up the findings quite well and you can read the entire report at the Pew website here.