Reading is a great way to escape the present and be somewhere else for a little while. But I've noticed that many of my high school friends rarely read for fun. Out of curiosity, I decided to conduct a reading-related survey of 35 high school students.

First, I asked the participants if they liked to read, and 66 percent said yes. But when asked, only 20 percent of respondents said they'd consider themselves frequent readers. Why, if so many teens enjoy reading, do so few actually read frequently? To answer this question, I asked willing participants to also send a short written explanation of why they do or don't read. Here are the results:

Although the majority of teens I surveyed either used to love reading or still do, it seems that many of them simply don't find the time to read anymore. It can be difficult to focus on a book after a long day of school, extracurriculars, and homework. That said, I definitely think that the internet plays a substantial role in consuming free time that could otherwise be used for reading. To confirm this suspicion, I asked the group how much time they spent online. 92 percent of respondents said they go online for more than three hours each day.

Personally, I think that nearly everyone can manage to clear at least a little time each day to read. As an avid reader, I hope that people my age try to read more often. Reading can be so fun and so rewarding, and I don't think it's appreciated enough!