July 23, 2013 – YA Chit Chat

When I started my YA 101 series a month ago, I put out a request for readers, between the ages of 13 and 20 to take part in a not so scientific poll to find out what they like to read and what is their favorite genre. The results surprised even me. Below are the questions I asked and below that are my results.

Out of the following categories, what is your favorite genre to read:

Adventure (i.e.: Island of the Blue Dolphin; Harry Potter)
Contemporary (i.e.: Sarah Dessen novels; The Fault in our Stars)
Dystopian (i.e.: Hunger Games; Divergent)
Fantasy / Sci Fi (i.e.: Eragon / I am Number Four)
Paranormal Romance (i.e.: Twilight, Beautiful Chaos)
Steampunk (i.e.: Cinder; Leviathan)
Urban Fantasy (i.e.: Percy Jackson; City of Bones)

How do you find books to read?

Friends
Library
Parents
Book club
Teacher

What is the most important element in a book?

Characters
Setting
Plot
Other

How often do you read?

Every day. I devour books
Eh, maybe 2 – 3 days a week
More like 2 – 3 days a month
Seriously? Who has time to read?
Something in between

How old are you?

RESULTS

49 people responded.

Ages: 20% were under the age of 17. The other 80 % were 17 to 20.

Where did they find their reading material?

41% from their parents;
18% from friends;
15% from teachers;
11% from libraries/bookstores;
8% from book clubs;
7% from media.

Frequency of reading

61% – every day
21% – 2 – 3 days a week
12% – something in between
6% – 2 – 3 days a month

Most important element of a book: (this one surprised me. I thought it would be the other way around)

71% – Characters
29% – Plot

And for the big question? Favorite Genre to read?

37% – Dystopian
35% – Urban Fantasy
21% – Harry Potter – fantasy adventure stories
5% – Fantasy
2% – Contemporary Fiction (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Epic Tales of a Misfit Hero being specifically mentioned)

Do you agree with the results? If you read YA, how would you answer the questions?