Poetry in America is the first national, in-depth survey of people's attitudes towards and experiences with poetry.  Conducted in 2005 on behalf of the Poetry Foundation, the survey investigated people's leisure time pursuits and reading habits; experiences with poetry; and perceptions of poets, poetry, and poetry readers.

The sample of more than 1,000 adult readers included those who said they currently read or listen to poetry, have read poetry in the past but no longer do so, and have never read poetry.

Findings show that readers in general, and poetry readers in particular, tend to be highly educated, African Americans, and women.  With the exception of watching television, poetry readers have higher than average rates of participation in cultural and leisure activities.  They have more positive perceptions of poetry than non-poetry readers, but non-poetry readers do recognize and appreciate the benefits poetry offers.  They also read or listen to poetry when they come across it in unexpected places.  Regardless of whether readers still read or listen to poetry, many can still recall  the names of poets and poems, and can recite poetry lines.

Project Publications

Bradburn, N., Reynolds, M. and Parks, K. 2006.  Poetry in America: A Summary of the Study. Chicago: NORC.

The final report is available at the Poetry Foundation's web site.