Chinese people read 7.86 books on average in 2016: survey

A new survey by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication shows that Chinese adults read an average of 7.86 books in 2016, of which 4.65 were traditional books and 3.21 were e-books. The survey, released on April 18, was administered in 52 cities.

According to the results, 79.9 percent of Chinese adults said they had done reading in some form in 2016. Those reading on digital devices accounted for 68.2 percent of respondents, while 58.8 percent read books.

In addition, the time Chinese adults spent reading through the use of new media has increased. Approximately 66 percent of Chinese adults read on mobile phones, a figure that has surpassed the online reading rate for three consecutive years. In 2016, 62.4 percent of Chinese adults reported reading on WeChat, increasing 9.1 percent from the 2015 figure.

Statistics show that nearly 40 percent of Chinese adults read novels on their mobile phones. Among these, stories of romance were most popular, followed by classical literature in second place. A total of 25.2 percent of respondents said they would be willing to pay for reading materials, while the rest said they would only read free content. The average consumption per capita on reading materials in 2016 was 16.95 RMB ($2.46), up by 5.76 RMB from 2015.

Only 1.7 percent of citizens said they read a lot, and nearly 40 percent thought they were not reading enough. Seventy percent were interested in attending reading activities.