I'm wondering whether readers prefer a lot of description, or if it's okay to sometimes not describe the settings and actions in detail all the time. If that makes sense.
I totally get what you mean. I had the same question while working on my current project. When I started out, I would use lots of description - I just felt it was very natural and important. But during this one, I didn't add much description (it might even be too little, but I intend to fix that during final revisions) because I felt like it wasn't contributing much to the story I was writing.
I think readers don't need much description in general because usually it doesn't add anything important to the story - a few details here and there are okay; the reader can fill in the rest themselves. You just have to move the story forward in a coherent way.
For example, the scene I'm working on right now is set in a newspaper office, and I've hardly provided any description because the scene is focused on the characters, their situations and their problems. The purpose of the scene is to provide background for the MC's situation and present new information to her. Description would only take away from the focus and tension.
In any case, don't fret over the amount of description (although in general I'd suggest keep it sparse, because it often gets boring IMO.) If the description isn't directly relevant to the story, you might as well keep it out and focus on other important aspects.
