Digital reading trend on the rise, survey finds

The reading habits of Chinese people showed a marked shift toward digital consumption in 2024, with many adults spending over three hours each day reading online content compared with roughly half an hour spent on reading physical books, according to a report released on Thursday.

The survey, conducted by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication in Beijing for the 22nd consecutive year, polled 573,500 respondents from 189 cities in 31 provincial-level regions. Adults accounted for 78.1 percent of all respondents.

The report was released at the fourth National Conference on Reading in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, which is themed "Cultivating a Reading Culture, Building a Strong Cultural Nation" this year. The event was aimed at deepening reading activities nationwide and creating a stronger culture for reading.

Several distinguished guests, including Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the conference.

Reading serves as a cornerstone of cultural development, the guests said, emphasizing that making the habit a genuine lifestyle and spiritual pursuit for the public is essential for fostering the culture of learning. Reading is a fundamental pillar in advancing China's vision of becoming a culturally empowered nation, they added.

Feng Shixin, head of the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication, told the gathering that the overall reading rate among Chinese people reached 82.1 percent last year, an increase of 0.2 percentage point compared with the previous year.

On average, Chinese adults read 4.8 printed books and 3.5 digital books, both showing an upward trend compared with 2023, according to the report.

The highest growth was recorded among audiobook listeners, with 38.5 percent of Chinese people listening to these through apps, WeChat accounts and smart speakers, up 2.2 percent year-on-year.

Despite the increasing integration of digital reading methods, 45.7 percent of Chinese adults still prefer physical books, the survey showed.

Sci-fi writer Liu Cixin said that at a time when artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly, it is easy for people to be confined to information bubbles, as AI algorithms keep generating and feeding them information based on their individual preferences.

"We must actively explore the classics that have built the foundation of progress for human civilization. In a virtual world with endless possibilities, we must never forget that the essence of reading is the dialogue between humans and the self, the world, and eternity," Liu said at the conference.

The guests called for a nationwide focus on reading Chinese classics. People should be guided to read more Marxist works, especially those with Chinese characteristics, such as the works of President Xi Jinping, they said.

People should also read Chinese and foreign literary classics and academic masterpieces from ancient and modern times, they said. It is necessary to comprehensively promote the construction of a culture of reading in schools, families and society, fostering a habit of reading in young people from an early age, they added.

Tie Ning, president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said, "Only through continuous reading can wisdom be enhanced, souls be nurtured, and the spirit of the Chinese nation be passed down endlessly, shaping the self-confidence and self-improvement of character of the Chinese people and jointly realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."