Survey finds surge in reading habit among Chinese people

A recently released national survey on reading among Chinese citizens showed a steady rise in reading as a habit in China.

The overall reading habit level among Chinese adults stood at 81.9 percent in 2023, a slight increase from 2022 and a 12.2-percentage-point growth from 2008, according to the latest national reading survey published by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication at the third National Conference on Reading that began on April 23, World Book Day.

The survey indicated that the habit of reading books among Chinese adults was at 59.8 percent in 2023, up 10.5 percentage points from 2008. Chinese adults read an average of 4.75 printed books and 3.4 digital books per capita last year.

A train staff member shares books with students during a reading activity on train 5634, which travels from Xichang city to Mianning county in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Zhou Zeping)

An average adult spent an average of 23.38 minutes reading printed books last year, the survey showed.

Moreover, 80.3 percent of Chinese adults had experience with digital reading, such as reading on computers, mobile phones, or other handheld devices, in 2023, reflecting a 0.2-percentage-point increase from the previous year. 36.3 percent of Chinese adults also listened to audiobooks last year.

Taking the national conference on reading as an opportunity, places across China have explored innovative methods of promoting reading and have launched novel and distinctive reading campaigns in a down-to-earth way.

Thanks to vigorous promotions by various regions and departments in China, a public reading service network has been built in the country, with the number of reading infrastructure, including physical bookstores, public libraries, community bookstores, workers' reading rooms, and township cultural stations, growing steadily and book resources and related equipment being constantly upgraded. Public services for promoting nationwide reading have likewise improved in the country.

For instance, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province established the province's first digital rural library in 2022, providing a vast array of high-quality online books, audio, and video services for free.