The Silent Crisis: Gen Z’s Struggle with Reading Threatens a Generation
A disturbing trend is emerging from the hallowed halls of academia: a significant portion of Generation Z students are arriving at college with fundamental deficiencies in reading comprehension, prompting professors to sound the alarm. This isn’t merely about critical thinking; it’s about the basic ability to process a sentence, a skill once considered foundational for higher education.
Professors Confront a Stark Reality
Jessica Hooten Wilson, a professor of great books and humanities at Pepperdine University, describes a shocking scenario. “It’s not even an inability to critically think,” Wilson revealed to Fortune. “It’s an inability to read sentences.” Her experience is not isolated. This observation reflects a broader societal shift, with nearly half of all Americans reportedly not reading a single book in 2025, a habit that has plummeted by 40% over the past decade. Despite the rise of BookTok, a vibrant online community celebrating literature, Gen Z’s reading habits lag behind all other demographics, with those aged 18 to 29 averaging a mere 5.8 books in 2025, according to YouGov data.
“I feel like I am tap dancing and having to read things aloud because there’s no way that anyone read it the night before,” Wilson admitted, highlighting the profound challenge. Even when texts are read collectively in class, students often struggle to process the very words on the page, indicating a deeper issue than mere procrastination.
Adapting to a New Educational Landscape
Faced with this challenge, academics are compelled to adapt their teaching methodologies, a move some critics label as “coddling.” However, professors like Wilson view it as a necessary evolution to meet students where they are. Wilson now employs strategies such as reading passages aloud, dissecting them line by line, or revisiting a single text repeatedly throughout a semester. Her goal remains steadfast: to equip students with the critical reading skills essential for both academic success and post-graduate careers. “I’m not trying to lower my standards,” Wilson asserts, “I just have to have different pedagogical approaches to accomplish the same goal.”
The Digital Divide and the Erosion of Deep Reading
Timothy O’Malley, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, notes that while adapting to student needs is always part of his role, the nature of unpreparedness has shifted dramatically. Where students once admitted struggling with a 25-40 page reading assignment, today, “if you assign that amount of reading, they often don’t know what to do.” Many now lean on AI summaries, inadvertently bypassing the nuanced understanding that comes from engaging with complex texts.
O’Malley attributes part of this decline to earlier educational framing, where reading has been presented as a means to an end rather than a source of pleasure or a cultivated habit. Years of standardized testing, he argues, have inadvertently trained students to “scan” for information, a skill useful for online news but detrimental to grappling with dense novels or philosophical works. “They’ve been formed in a kind of scanning approach to reading,” he explains, highlighting a fundamental disconnect from the demands of academic rigor.
Beyond Grades: The Far-Reaching Consequences
The issue isn’t always hostility towards reading, but often a profound lack of confidence and stamina. Brad East, a theology professor at Abilene Christian University, observes that when anxiety around grades is reduced, students are often more willing to engage with demanding reading lists. He has adjusted assignments to foster critical thinking in the age of generative AI, prioritizing learning over stress-filled exams.
This confidence deficit extends to professional spheres. Brooke Vuckovic, a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, sees 40-50% of her business school students identify as novice or reluctant readers each term. Yet, with encouragement, their engagement can shift immediately.
The implications of declining literacy stretch far beyond academic performance. Reading, as Wilson eloquently puts it, is a gateway to understanding diverse perspectives, fostering empathy and a sense of community. “I think losing that polarization, anxiety, loneliness, a lack of friendship, all of these things happen when you don’t have a society that reads together.” This stark warning underscores a potential future where a generation, ill-equipped to engage deeply with complex ideas, faces heightened social and emotional challenges. Ironically, while Gen Z’s reading habits wane, a recent JPMorgan survey revealed that reading remains the top common habit among the ultra-wealthy, suggesting a critical link between deep engagement with text and elite achievement.
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