New Book on Gen Z Reading Habits-- Free Download Through 8/6

Portland State University researchers Kathi Inman Berens and Rachel Noorda have a new book from Cambridge University Press entitled, How Gen Z Discover and Consume Books. It is free to download here but only through August 6th!

From the summary:

This Element examines book consumption practices of Gen Z (born 1997–2012), a generation whose formative years coincided with the internet, smartphones, and social media-digital ecosystems that transformed book discovery, consumption, and social identification. Drawing on two nationally representative US surveys (2025, n=2000; 2022, n=2075), the authors investigate paradoxical tensions in Gen Z reading: preference for print despite reliance on digital discovery mechanisms, dissonance between reader identity and actual behaviors, and evolving attitudes toward piracy and AI. The analysis reveals how Gen Z's reading practices exist within multimodal media environments with increasingly permeable format boundaries. This generation navigates a complex landscape spanning traditional bookstores to digital-only providers, where discovery is shaped by algorithms, peer influence, cross-media storytelling, and differential trust in information sources. These findings have significant implications for publishers, educators, and cultural institutions engaging young readers in fragmented media environments.

I know asking you to read an entire book on this topic is a big ask, but I do have a compromise courtesy of the Book Riot Podcast where Rebecca sat down with the authors to discuss their research and findings. Click here to listen for free.

Also here is the Book Riot quick summary to go with the podcast:

The kids are all right, according to Drs. Rachel Noorda and Kathi Inman Berens, authors of a new book about Gen Z’s reading habits.

In surveys specifically constructed to capture the reading habits of the first generation of digital natives, they found:

• More than 65% of Gen Z people identify as readers, a 15% increase between 2022 and 2025.
• Visits to physical bookstores tripled between 2022 and 2025 as Gen Z folks sought safe “third spaces” outside of home and school.
• Gen Z reported buying a median of 107 books per year and reading 58 print books per year.
• Librarians are gaining influence as trusted sources of book recommendations, as Gen Z’s interest in social media influencers and talent wanes.

🎧 Get more data from our conversation with the researchers, and download their book for free from Cambridge University Press through August 6.

Go download the book NOW so you don't miss your chance. You can always read it later, but only if you download it before August 6th.

I have more posts about generational reading behavior for you to peruse when you want at this link as well.