Rural Americans are a bit less likely to read books, even more so when they involve work or school

About 80 percent of people living in urban and suburban areas say they have read a book within the past year, while 71 percent of rural residents say they have read a book within the last year, according to a Pew Research Center study. Rural residents who read books read as much as their urban and suburban counterparts. More than three-fourths of all groups say they read for pleasure. The poll was part of the center's Internet and American Life project.

Nearly 60 percent of urban and suburban residents read for work or school, compared to just 47 percent of rural residents, notes Henry Grabar of The Atlantic. Urban and suburban also have higher percentages of people with library cards. The biggest factors at play in terms of different reading habits remain age, education level and household income, the study's authors conclude: "The type of community in which people live is not an independent predictor of their reading behavior or their activities at libraries." (Read more)