More Americans Went To The Library Than Movies In 2019

You read that right. The popularity and draw of movie franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars is undeniable. In fact, the North American Box Office made 11.32 billion dollars in earnings for 2019. Despite this, it seems that your local library still sees far more traffic in a year than any movie theater.

This information comes from a 2019 Gallup poll. According to the survey, visiting a local library remains the far most common cultural activity Americans engage in. The survey notes:

“The average 10.5 trips to the library U.S. adults report taking in 2019 exceeds their participation in eight other common leisure activities. Americans attend live music or theatrical events and visit national or historic parks roughly four times a year on average and visit museums and gambling casinos 2.5 times annually. Trips to amusement or theme parks (1.5) and zoos (0.9) are the least common activities among this list.”

Interestingly, the survey also notes that women report visiting the library twice as frequently as men. Belle from Beauty and the Beast would definitely be proud. Adults in low-income households are the most frequent visitors of libraries, while adults in high-income households visit libraries the least. Of the age ranges surveyed, 18-29 year olds visit libraries more than any other age group. The report is presented in its entirety on Gallup’s site. It’s nice to know that even as technology continues to push us forward, we still have an appreciation for the simple pleasure of turning some old pages.