Teens of Bay Area

Once a staple of teenage life, reading for pleasure is rapidly disappearing. This drop may seem harmless, but declining reading habits are increasingly tied to broader concerns about literacy and education. 

In recent years, a rise of anti-intellectualism has resulted from a distancing from reading combined with a distrust of science. It builds onto the irrationality and gullibility of Americans, and risks a society that distances itself from education and science.

An anti-intellectual is defined as a person who disapproves of intellectuals and their ideologies. It is often backed by misinformation, which comes from various news outlets that may use misinformation to intentionally generate more profit. In some cases, anti-intellectualism comes merely in the form of ignorance; but many times, it’s the intentional spreading of misinformation that balloons into a mistrust of education and science, as well as conspiracy theories.

A decline in reading literacy is one of the leading contributors to rising anti-intellectualism. According to Rose Horowitch from the Atlantic, many modern college students attending prestigious schools struggle with simply reading a book cover to cover, to the point that many Humanities professors no longer assign students books altogether. The American Institutes for Research also shows that nearly half of people aged 16 to 18 struggle with “basic literacy” — ability to understand everyday text. This declining literacy rate among youth in America remains an indicator of growing anti-intellectualism. When the education system itself leaves room for plummeting literacy rates, it’s inevitable that the same students begin to distrust literacy. 

Additionally, recent political campaigns that take advantage of and promote anti-intellectualism contribute to a further distrust of literacy and science. In recent years, conservatism has seen a surge in anti-intellectualism, largely due to the anti-science narratives pushed by right-wing political leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic was another contributor to the rising skepticism in science among conservatives, with political figures such as President Donald Trump questioning the safety and validity of research and vaccines. Trump is also vocal about his disbelief in climate change. It’s likely that this at least partially explains a statistic in 2023, which demonstrates that the number of Americans who had trust in scientists dropped from 87% to 73%. 

Political platforms have also become increasingly constructed around the superiority of the“common people” and the inferiority of intellectuals. Politicians appeal to the general public by distancing their target population from education. This is done by using narratives that paint education as an opposition to the “common people,” such as the idea that COVID-19 social distancing caused unnecessary harm to the working class. Because of this, people begin to distrust intellectualism, further pushing an “us versus them” mentality that demands the disregard of research.

When anti-intellectualism rises, especially among students and the youth, the future of America’s political stability is put at risk. Democracy is reliant on the voting population’s ability to elect leaders for their own best interests. Anti-intellectualism is an open invitation for manipulative political leaders to ensnare voters, because when citizens are more likely to believe the words of a single person than scientific research and historical evidence, democracy is reduced to a one-man stage.

Social and civil boundaries also risk evaporating under anti-intellectualism. Racism and prejudice are rooted in ignorance. As Americans begin to disregard rational thinking, society faces extreme discrimination and violence. 

To combat anti-intellectualism, a shift in both systematic and individual action is required. On a national level, literacy should not take a backseat in education. While reading a book cover-to-cover seems less necessary in a digital society, a decline in reading literacy is a direct pipeline to anti-intellectualism. On an individual level, staying informed and educated is a personal responsibility. Without such action, America risks seeing its beloved values and systems collapse under their own weight.