Do College Students Still Read Books?

By guy.chmieleski@gmail.comStudent Culture, Trends & Issues

Photo courtesy of: http://asouthernfriedmess.files.wordpress.com

Updated 3/16/12

Do your college students still read books?

I’m not talking about text books (but statistics would tell us that upwards of 60% of text books purchased for classes go unread).

No, I’m talking about those non-fiction books designed to encourage their spiritual growth, shape their leadership and challenge their ways of thinking about how they live life in the world they inhabit.

I read a blog post last week that’s had me thinking…

In referencing the online habits of today’s young adults, the comment was made that blogs are for an “older” generation (ahem…), and that this younger generation prefers to get their information in the bite-sized bits that a 140-character tweet or Facebook status update will allow for.

That same post mentioned that the percentage of online material that has move from word/image-based to video-based is increasing at a dramatic rate.  And prognosticators suggest that by 2015 — just 3 years from now — that the web could consist of nearly 90% video-based material… because that’s what this generation (the younger generation in particular) demands.

And I found myself wondering… if today’s students aren’t willing to take the time to read a 300-1000 word blog post… and prefer videos, podcasts, etc., to the written word… then what is the likelihood that they are reading books?

Now, I’ll be the first to confess that my own love for reading didn’t come until after I had graduated from college.

I guess I just wasn’t ready.

But in our technologically advanced culture… will our students ever turn that corner?

Will they ever choose to sit down long enough, with a non-interactive, paper-based resource… to enjoy it?  For more than 5 minutes?

What does this mean for their ability to sit with larger portions of the biblical text?  Can they study it?  Meditate on it?  Pray through it?

What does it mean for their exposure to some of the great authors and thinkers from the past?

How about their exposure to some of the current shapers of Christian thought?

How much are we, as campus ministers and college pastors, to allow this changing reality to shape our ministry?

Should we be regularly tweeting scripture?

Posting quotes from rich Christian texts to our Facebook walls?

Sharing paragraphs, or pages, from important thinkers with some of our student leaders during our training and/or counseling sessions???

I know all campuses are different… but I wonder, how much of this you are seeing on your campus?

A lot more questions than answers today…

And I’d love to know what you think about this!

Please take a moment to share insights in the comment section below.

 

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5 thoughts on “Do College Students Still Read Books?”

  1. I read and I’m an engineering grad student at the U of Minnesota. But I’m different; I come from a family of readers so it’s always been a priority and a pleasure. You should see the stack of books I have on my desk. Because I want to brag, I’ll list them here:

    Doctrine by Mark Driscoll
    The Wounded Healer – Henri Nouwen
    The Way of the Heart – Henri Nouwen
    Miracles – CS Lewis
    A Grief Observed – CS Lewis
    Preaching: The Art of Narrative Exposition – Calvin Miller
    Communicating for Change – Andy Stanley
    A History of Christianity – published by Zondervan
    Love Wins – Rob Bell
    Plus a handful of sci-fi/fantasy novels

    I love reading.

  3. Joel!

    Thanks for your comment/s!

    I think the fact that you recognize yourself as “different” because of your family upbringing is important. You are still reaping the benefits of 18+ years of conditioning. You have been “taught” the benefits of books… and time spent reading them.

    Do you see any of your peers as interested in reading (outside of class-related materials) in similar ways to you? If not, have you ever asked them about it?

    Thanks again for sharing!

  4. My friends who are students don’t read often. My roommate does but, like myself, he comes from a background that values reading. I think that a lot of students don’t feel like they have the time nor the desire to read non-school books after having to read/study for class. I know I didn’t make time while I was an undergrad.

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