Reading Inequality Concentrates Cultural Capital

In 2025 a small minority of Americans account for the vast majority of books read: 19% of adults produced 82% of reading. That concentration means book‑based cultural knowledge and the attendant norms, vocabularies, and civic frames are increasingly held by a distinct, better‑educated slice of the population. — If cultural and civic literacies are concentrated, public conversation, policy debates and media ecosystems will be shaped disproportionately by heavy readers, amplifying elite tastes and potentially widening political and informational divides.