‘I love the whole atmosphere and can spend hours browsing’: how did bookshops suddenly become cool? | Books | The Guardian

Gen Z's cultural tastes are heralded, maligned and mythologised in almost equal measure. But one stereotype persists above all: that young people are addicted to their phones, keen to live their lives primarily through a screen.

But is this the whole picture? A survey commissioned by the Booksellers Association ahead of Bookshop Day tomorrow has found that gen Z and millennials are more likely to buy a book based on a bookseller's recommendation - in person, in a bookshop - than older age groups: 49% and 56% respectively, compared with 37% of gen X and 31% of baby boomers. Booksellers from around the UK told me this wasn't surprising - that, in the last few years, they've noticed a sharp rise in young readers coming into their shops seeking out human guidance, eager to be in a physical store rather than filtering through AI and influencer-recommended titles online.

"I love the whole atmosphere in bookstores and can spend hours browsing - I think that's a big part of it," Emily, 26, from Northampton explains. "You can take hours without feeling rushed or like you're imposing."