Americans are reading fewer books as leaders prize the habit

Americans are reading fewer books, and business educators warn the slide could weaken skills that employers say they need. Fortune reported that the decline is happening even as high-profile figures including Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey are known for making books part of their routines.

A 2025 JPMorgan survey of more than 100 billionaires found reading was the most common habit among elite achievers, according to Fortune. Among the wider public, YouGov found that two in five Americans did not finish a single book in 2025.

Daily reading for enjoyment has fallen by about 40% over the past 20 years, according to research cited by EurekAlert. Fortune reported that experts connect the shift to the attention economy, with social media and artificial intelligence making it easier to avoid long-form reading.

Why business professors say the trend matters

Brooke Vuckovic, a professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, told Fortune that reading fiction, biography and history builds the kind of sustained focus and comfort with uncertainty that leaders need. She said those traits are becoming harder to find.

Vuckovic told Fortune that long-form reading also helps people handle nuance and reconsider their assumptions. Those abilities matter in business settings where leaders must assess incomplete information and communicate clearly, she said.

Alison Taylor, a professor of business and society at New York University’s Stern School of Business, told Fortune that being widely read is becoming a kind of “luxury good.” She said intellectual credibility is one thing wealth cannot buy, even as many CEOs publicly emphasize their interest in books.

Vuckovic said she reads 35 to 60 novels and short stories a year, according to Fortune. She told the publication the habit strengthens both her thinking and her ability to connect with other people.

Curiosity is a hiring signal

Research cited by Fortune also links broad interests to stronger ideas. A study in the American Journal of Sociology examined managers at Raytheon and found that the best-rated ideas came from employees with ties outside their immediate work groups; sociologist Ronald Burt, who led the study, wrote that well-read people are more likely to produce good ideas.

Several business leaders have said they value curiosity in employees and executives. Former Indeed CEO Chris Hyams told Fortune that curiosity and openness can matter more than credentials when he evaluates candidates.

Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer said in 2025 that he focuses on emotional skills rather than IQ, according to Fortune. His list included intellectual curiosity, empathy and self-awareness.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon also tied leadership to seeking outside views. In a 2025 LinkedIn interview cited by Fortune, Dimon said leaders need to get out, stay curious and “ask a million questions.”

Younger adults read the fewest books

YouGov found that Americans ages 18 to 29 read an average of 5.8 books in 2025, the lowest figure among age groups, according to Fortune. The publication noted that this comes despite Gen Z’s visible presence on BookTok, TikTok’s books and literature community, and some pushback against digital “brain rot.”

Taylor told Fortune she sees a related problem in classrooms, where students increasingly use AI chatbots to summarize assignments instead of reading the material themselves. Fortune reported that strategic and critical thinking remain among the soft skills companies say they need most.

Vuckovic told Fortune that starting a reading habit can have quick benefits. She described reading as a low-cost and enjoyable way to broaden the mind.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.