A new survey by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication shows that 79.3 percent of Chinese adults read books using digital channels in 2019, up 3.1 percentage points from the previous year.

A reporter reads a book at the Zhongshuge bookstore in the Galeries Lafayette department store in Beijing’s Xidan Plaza on April 20. (Photo/He Yong)

According to the results, more than half of the respondents prefer digital reading, while there was a decline in the proportion of readers who preferred printed books.

Statistics show that Chinese adults read an average of 4.65 printed books and 2.84 e-books in 2019, down slightly from 4.67 and 3.32 in 2018, respectively.

The survey also found that more Chinese people were showing a preference for audio books, with over 31.2 percent now enjoying this pastime. A closer look at the survey shows that 30.3 percent of adults and 34.7 percent of minors listened to audio books in 2019, increasing by 4.3 and 8.5 percent compared to 2018.

Meanwhile, 43.5 percent of Chinese people read on their mobile phones in 2019, up 3.3 percentage points from the previous year. On average, adults spent 100.41 minutes a day on their mobile phones, 15.54 minutes more than in 2018.

While about 40 percent Chinese adults felt unsatisfied with the number of books they read in a year, 11.1 percent read over 10 books in print, and 7.6 percent more than 10 e-books last year. In addition, 68.2 percent of adults thought that the relevant departments should launch events to promote reading culture.

In general, 81.1 percent of Chinese adults read books, newspapers or magazines in 2019, up slightly from 80.8 percent in 2018.