Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
China
Home / China / Society

Survey on reading habits released

By Mei Jia | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2019-04-16 15:10
Share
Share - WeChat
Two girls read books of traditional Chinese culture at a bookstore in Dongying, Shandong province, Feb 27, 2017. [Photo/VCG]

In advance of World Book Day on April 23, the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication released its 16th national survey on Chinese people's reading habits on Tuesday in Beijing.

The survey found that Chinese adults on average read 7.99 books in 2018, including 3.32 digital copies, while younger people aged up to 17 read 8.91 books, a slight increase from 2017.

Wei Yushan, director of the academy, said that the survey mainly shows growth in digital reading, as demand for print books remains stable.

"We also find a sharp rise in audio books, almost one-third of the Chinese population has the habit of listening to audio books," Wei said.

Reading from mobile phones has become the favorite  way to read and get information. Adult Chinese on average spend almost 85 minutes a day on their mobile phones, four more minutes compared to 2017.

"Online, many Chinese read news, watch short videos and do socials. Reading once again proves to be for entertainment and it's fragmentized. We found less than enough in-depth reading activities with longer time spans," Wei said.

There's also no small gap between rural and urban residents in terms of reading habits.

Among adults, 80.8 percent have the habit of reading, which covers all kinds of reading material, in print, digital, or online - a rise of 0.5 percent compared to 2017.

The percentage of rural residents who read is 14.5 percent lower than that in urban areas.

Governments at different levels are working to minimize the gap, including offering books and online access for free in libraries built in villages and towns.

The annual Government Work Report in March mentioned the notion of "championing a culture of reading" for the sixth year since 2014.

There will be reading promotion activities and events all over the country this week to celebrate World Book Day.

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US