Books on religion and spirituality are the second most frequently read genre among U.S. adult book readers, according to YouGov survey results published in late July.
When asked, “Which of the following genres of books do you read MOST often?” 13% of adults said books on religion or spirituality, just behind books on mystery and crime (14%) and just ahead of history (10%).
Black respondents (25%) were more likely than white (11%) or Hispanic (2%) respondents to say they most often read books on religion and spirituality, while Republicans (17%) were more likely than Independents (13%) or Democrats (9%) to do so.
When respondents were asked, “Which of the following genres of books do you read?” religion and spirituality tied with thrillers (20%) for fourth, behind mystery and crime (28%), history (27%), and biographies and memoirs (22%).
Women (23%) were more likely than men (16%) to say they currently read books on religion and spirituality, while respondents aged 65 and older (25%) were more likely than those aged 45-64 (20%), 30-44 (18%) and 18-29 (16%) to do so.
Black respondents (29%) were more likely than white (19%) or Hispanic (11%) to say they currently read books on religion and spirituality, while Republicans (28%) were more likely than Independents (18%) or Democrats (15%) to do so.
When asked about books they read during their formative years, 19% of U.S. adults said they read books on religion and spirituality, with 4% saying this was the genre they read most often.
Short stories and fiction tied for the most read genre (39%), while young adult books (12%) were the most frequently read books among U.S. adults during their formative years.
Respondents aged 30 and older (20.3%) were more likely than those aged 18-29 (15%) to have read books on religion and spirituality when growing up. Black respondents (29%) were more likely than white (17%) or Hispanic (16%) respondents, while Republicans (23%) were more likely than Independents (19%) or Democrats (17%) to report doing so.
The topline results are available here and the crosstab results are available here. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Managing editor for news and opinion at Good Faith Media.
