2016 NATIONAL READING HABITS STUDY ON ADULTS
2016 NATIONAL READINGHABITS STUDY ON ADULTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS Study Objectives and Methodology Study Objectives MethodologyExecutive SummaryReading Habits Are People Reading? Are People Reading in Their Mother Tongue? How Do People Discover New Reads? Where Do People Read?Reading Preferences What Non-fiction Topics Do People Read? What Fiction Topics Do People Read?About Books Are People Still Reading Books? Where Do People Get Their Books From?Motivations and Barriers346101415202227293135383941442
This section covers theobjectives andmethodology of the study,definitions of key terms,and the profile of thesurvey respondents.
STUDY OBJECTIVESIn conjunction with the launch of the National Reading Movement (NRM) in 2016,the National Library Board commissioned the inaugural National Reading HabitsStudy on Adults.The study aims to ascertain the state of reading for leisure among Singaporeresidents, so as to align NRM initiatives with the needs of Singapore residents.Specifically, the study seeks to find out:Reading habits Are people reading? What type of materials do people read? Are people reading in their Mother Tongue language?Reading preferences What do people like to read?About books Are people still reading books? Where do people get their books from?Reading motivations and barriers4
DEFINITION OF READINGReading is defined as having read any of the following types of materials.Books include e-books, audio books as well as physical books. Thiscovers both non-fiction and fiction books, excluding textbooks.News refers to printed newspapers as well as online newsOnline Articles refer to articles, blogs or essays posted on socialmedia (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter) or websitesMagazines include both physical and digital magazinesReports, e.g. annual company reports or trade reportsThis study excludes reading related to communications such as emails andWhatsApp messages.5
METHODOLOGYThe Study was carried out in two phases - door-to-door surveys, followed by FocusGroup Discussions.Door-to-door surveys 3,515 surveys were conducted nation-wide via door-to-door interviewsby trained interviewers, which gave a margin of error of 1.55% at 95%confidence level. Singapore residents (i.e. Singapore citizens and Singapore PermanentResidents) aged 20 years and above were randomly chosen for thesurvey. Sample quotas by age, gender, ethnicity, housing type andresidence status were applied to ensure that the sample collected isrepresentative of the Singapore Resident population. The surveys were conducted at different times of the day, on bothweekdays and weekends, to capture all demographic profiles. Each survey lasted on average about 45 minutes. Surveys were conducted from 4 May to 5 August 2016.6
METHODOLOGYFocus Group Discussions Focus Group Discussions were conducted by experienced moderators tounderstand reasons underlying reading behavior. A total of 18 Focus Groups with 163 participants aged 20 years andabove were conducted from 22 August to 19 September 2016. Participants were from all life stages, and covered all ethnicities. Discussions were conducted in the Mother Tongue language of theparticipants when necessary (such as among seniors).Life StageFGDs conductedYoung adults (aged 20-39 years old) without children3Mature adults (aged 40-59 years old) without children3Parents with children aged 0-6 years old3Parents with children aged 7-12 years old3Parents with children above 12 years old3Seniors 60 years old and above3*Insights obtained from Focus Group Discussions are titled“A deeper look” in the rest of the report7
PROFILE OF SURVEY RESPONDENTSThe survey sample is representative of the Singapore resident population in termsof age, gender, ethnicity, residency status and dwelling type.Residency Statusn% of TotalSingapore Citizen317890%Singapore Permanent Residents337Total3515Gendern% of Total20-29 years old74621%10%30-39 years old62418%100%40-49 years old71120%50-59 years old66519%60 years old and above76922%Total3515100%n% of %n% of yn% of 3%Total3515100%AgeDwelling Type1 or 2-room HDB flat3-room HDB flat4-room HDB flat5-room/ Executive HDB flatExecutive Condominium/HUDCCondominium/ Apartment /Private FlatPrivate Landed PropertyTotal8
PROFILE OF SURVEY RESPONDENTSMarital Statusn% of TotalSingle104630%Married with children209660%Married without d200%3515100%TotalHighest Attained EducationLeveln% of TotalPrimary School or below46113%Secondary School94827%Technical / Vocational e or higher1915%Total3515100%Diploma / slators, Senior Officials,ManagersProfessionalsAssociate Professionals andTechniciansClerical Support WorkersService and Sales WorkersAgricultural and Fishery WorkersCraftsmen and Related TradesWorkersPlant and Machine Operators andAssemblersCleaners, Labourers and RelatedWorkerSelf-employedRetiredFull-time National ServicemanFull-time HomemakerUnemployed currentlyStudentsOthers, please specify:RefusedTotaln% of 44425243310131954568%13%2%12%3%9%2%2%3515100%9
This section gives asummary of the keyfindings.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (1)1111
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (2)12
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (3)1313
This section looks intoSingapore residents’reading frequency, types ofmaterials read, reading inMother Tongue languagesand sharing of reads.
ARE PEOPLE READING? *93% of Singapore residents read at least once in the past 12 months. This includes readingbooks (physical, e-books, or audio books), magazines (physical or digital), newspapers oronline news, as well as articles posted on social media or websites. 80% read more than once a week, regardless of age group. Among Singapore residents, 79% spent at least 30 minutes reading daily, regardless ofweekday or weekend.Non-readerYes, less often than once a monthYes, at least once a monthYes, once a weekYes, a few times a weekYes, every day or almost every day7% 2% 4% 7%7%Nonreader:Did notread inthe past12months13%Once aweek orlessoften*This group will be known as “readers”(n 3,262) in the rest of this reportBase: All respondents (n 3,515)18%62%80% More than once a week% by Age who read more than once a week20-29 years old30-39 years old40-49 years old79%82%83%50-59 years old77% 60 years old78%15
ARE PEOPLE READING? 85% of university degree holders read more than once a week, while only 68% of those withprimary school or below education do so. Nearly 80% or more of Singapore residents across all dwelling types read more than once aweek, except for those in 1-to-3 room HDB flats. There is no significant difference between gender and ethnicity in reading frequency.Read more than once a weekby Highest Attained Educational LevelPrimary School or belowSecondary SchoolTechnical / VocationalTrainingA-levelsRead more than once a weekby Dwelling Type68%1 or 2-room HDB flat79%4-room HDB flat72%76%Diploma / duate or higherBase: All respondents (n 3,515)3-room HDB flat88%5-room/ Executive ent / Private FlatPrivate Landed Property71%74%79%84%84%86%78%16
WHAT TYPE OF MATERIALS DO PEOPLE READ? 68% of Singapore residents read news more than once a week, while 41% read onlinearticles posted on either social media (39%) or websites (27%) more than once a week. In contrast, 19% read books more than once a week. 15% read non-fiction books, while 10%read fiction books.Non-readerNo, neverYes, less often than once a monthYes, at least once a monthYes, once a weekYes, a few times a weekRead morethan oncea weekYes, every day or almost every dayNews (print or digital)7% 3% 7% 6% 9%Articles posted on social media7%Articles posted on websites7%Books-nonfiction, including e-books7%28%Magazines, including e-magazines7%26%Books-fiction, including e-books7%Reports (e.g. annual reports)7%Base: All respondents (n 7%22%10%39%13%14%27%17%11%9% 6%15%18%13%8% 5%13%8% 6% 4%10%9% 5%4% 3%7%13%19%17
WHAT TYPE OF MATERIALS DO PEOPLE READ? News is the most common material that is read more than once a week, except for the 20 to29 year olds where a larger proportion read online articles rather than news. A greater proportion of university degree holders read news, online articles and books morethan once a week than those with lower educational levels.Type of material read more than once a weekNewsAge52%66%22%69%30-39 years old55%22%72%47%19%50-59 years old 60 years oldBooksHighest Attained Education20-29 years old40-49 years oldOnline articles71%29%18%75%17%16%Base: All respondents (n 3,515)Primary Schoolor belowSecondarySchoolTech ccalaureateUniversityPost-Graduateor 55%1 or 2-room HDB flat3-room HDB flat4-room HDB flat5-room/ ExecutiveHDB flat55%45%24%23%Dwelling te LandedProperty42%22%47%73%72%74%71%18
Based on focus group discussion findingsA DEEPER LOOK INTO TYPES OF MATERIALS READA Must-Read for All Newspaperor NewsOnlineKeep up with what is happening - it affects my workSocial currency - not knowing the latest makes me look out of touch (“suaku”)and affects my social standing“Not appear like an idiot in front of all the people. ” – Male, 46 years old If I don’t read news, I cannot contribute to water-cooler talkPart of my lifestyle Articles posted on social mediaor websitesInternet is available all the time – receive alerts about postsLinks me to friends, like-minded people and interest groupsContent is directly relevant to me (e.g. they like the Facebook page of topicsthat they are interested in)I outgrew books Books –includese-books Irrelevant - all the latest, most current information is onlineI used to when I was studying, but now I am too tired after work. I cannotfocus anymore.I would rather wait for the movie. I lose interest in the book.But for the minority who do read books IT’S ME TIME- Habit since young to read books- It helps me to relax- It’s interesting and brings me into another world19
ARE PEOPLE READING IN THEIR MOTHER TONGUE? Of the readers, 66% are able to read in both English and their Mother Tongue. Among them,62% read in their Mother Tongue more than once a week. There is a lower proportion of bilingual 20 to 29 year olds, compared to other age groups,who read in their Mother Tongue more than once a week. Compared to bilingual Malay readers, lower proportion of bilingual Chinese readers andbilingual Tamil readers read more than once a week.Language that they are able to read in20%English onlyCan read in English andMother Tongue14%MotherTongueonly66%English andMotherTongueTotal66%20-29 years old77%30-39 years old79%40-49 years old74%50-59 years old 60 years old63%38%OutofthisRead in their MotherTongue more than once aweek62%44%62%71%70%70%Read in their Mother Tongue more than once a week62% of bilingual Chinese readers73% of bilingual Malay readers57% of bilingual Tamil readersBase: Readers (n 3,262); Bilingual Chinese readers (n 1,526); Bilingual Malay readers (n 316); Bilingual Tamil readers (n 175)20
Based on focus group discussion findingsA DEEPER LOOK INTO READING IN MOTHERTONGUE LANGUAGESBarriers to overcome: Lack of language proficiency - perceived as difficult and time-consuming.No value in reading in their Mother Tongue – English is the official working languageDespite that, people do read because of the below MotivationsOnly availablein MotherTongue“(Chinese newsare) moreentertaining,more social,more close toyour lifestyle.”Female, 45 yearsold, Chinese.”For school orwork“It’s to brush upmy Chinese alsobecause I haveChinese speakingclients. – Male,27 years old,ChineseShare news withfamily memberswho don’tunderstandEnglish“I read news only,in my mothertongue just seewhat is interestingso update myfather, mother.” –Female, 29 yearsold, MalayHelp childrenwith MotherTongue“I feel I need tobrush up myChinese so I canhelp them.” –Female, 35 yearsold, ChineseConveymeaning better“Certain wordsin English justcannot describetheemotions ’SunZi Bing Fa’, youread in English Differentmeaning!” –Male, 66 yearsold, ChineseAppreciation ofMother Tongue“Maybe thewords and thecontent (ofMalay novels) la.We can reallyunderstand moreof it. Because weare Malay, wecan relate.” –Female, 36 yearsold, Malay21
HOW DO PEOPLE DISCOVER NEW READS? Among the readers, the top ways of discovering new reads are through word of mouthreferrals (54%), social media (48%), and online browsing (41%).How they discover new materials to readWord of mouth referrals54%48%Social media41%Online browsing21%Browsing in librariesBrowsing in bookstores18%Online reading communitiesFace-to-face reading communitiesBase: Readers (n 3,262)8%2%22
HOW DO PEOPLE DISCOVER NEW READS? Among the 20 to 29 years-old readers, 73% discover new reads through social media. While most readers with primary school education or below rely on mainly word of mouthreferrals to discover new reads, a higher proportion of readers with diploma or highereducation qualifications browse online to do so.How they discover new materials to readWord of mouth referralsAge73%53%48%30-39 years old58%54%48%40-49 years old50-59 years old 60 years oldBase: Readers (n 3,262)50%47%59%38%35%60%23%20%Online browsingHighest Attained Education56%20-29 years oldSocial mediaPrimary Schoolor belowSecondarySchoolTech ccalaureateUniversityPost-Graduateor %51%58%55%48%50%61%23
SHARE OPINIONS ON WHAT THEY READ 62% of readers share their opinions on what they are reading with others. Among these readers who share their opinions, 86% do so via informal chats and 43% viasocial media. While majority across all age groups share their opinions via informal chats, a largerproportion of the younger age groups do so social media.Share opinions/ recommendations onreading materialsHow do they share their opinionsWord of mouth via informal chats86%Social mediaNO38%YES62%43%Face-to-face reading communities5%Online reading communities(e.g. GoodReads)4%Word of mouth via informal chats20-29 years old56%30-39 years old55%40-49 years old50-59 years old 60 years oldBase: Readers (n 3,262)47%33%26%Social media81%82%84%90%91%24
Based on focus group discussion findingsA DEEPER LOOK INTO READING CLUBSWould YOU join reading clubs?Low Awareness – few know what reading clubs areLow Interest – no need to join one, as: reading is a very personal activity (awkward to discusswith strangers) not keen to commit time to the club may result in a more stressful reading experience topics may not conform to personal interest worried about the convenience of the meeting placeMay consider if .Provides social interaction - meet like-minded individuals who read similar genres to me(e.g. manga) or books from my favorite authors.Online reading clubs - eliminate concerns of fixed time commitment, inconvenient locationsand meeting strangers.25
WHEN DO PEOPLE READ? A higher proportion of 20 to 29 year-old readers read during breaks in the day and whilecommuting, compared to the older age groups. About 50% of seniors read as part of their morning routine.WeekdaysWeekends48%In the evening beforeending my yearsold yearsold 9yearsold50-59yearsold 3%7%47%During my breaks inthe day44%In the morning beforestarting my dayWhile commutingDuring mybreaks42%In themorning42%25%19%Base: Read on weekdays (n 3,227); Read on weekends (n 3,098)26
WHERE DO PEOPLE READ? Most readers prefer to read at home. 20 to 39 year-old readers also read at work or in school during breaks, and on public transport.WeekdaysWeekends88%92%At home30%23%On public transportAt work or inschool duringbreaks27%11%At coffee shops,cafés, restaurants14%13%In the library13%12%In book stores7%6%Outdoor (e.g.parks)6%7%Base: Read on weekdays (n 3,227); Read on weekends (n 3,098)On sold50-59yearsold 14%8%At work or inschool d50-59yearsold %4%27
Based on focus group discussion findingsA DEEPER LOOK INTO WHERE PEOPLE READAt home Most read in the comfort of home – when they have free time, at the start ofthe day, or before bedtime.“Usually before the market starts (in the morning), you read what's happening withthe past 10 hours you missed out. Evening time, it's usually when I have my ownhobby, so I have my own articles to read after my own interest.” – Male, 49 years oldOn public transport Working adults frequently cited reading while commuting. However, amountand frequency read depended heavily on the contents that were pushed tothem. They may click on news/articles if the headlines or topics caught theirattention or if the articles had many likes and share.“On the way to work, that one definitely I will scroll la.” – Female, 29 years oldAt work or in school during breaks Many were unable or unwilling to set aside reading time. Instead, readinghappened randomly whenever they had free time.“If I am one of the early bird in the morning, I will read in office and duringlunch time.” – Female, 39 years old28
This section describes thetop genres read for fictionand non-fiction for thevarious demographicgroups
WHAT DO PEOPLE LIKE TO READ? 98% of readers read non-fiction topics, to serve practical purposes. There are cleardifferences in topics read across gender and highest attained education level. Only 57% of readers read fiction, with higher proportions in the younger age groups doingso.Top 5 non-fiction topics readRead fiction82%20-29 years oldAbout SingaporeHealth & Fitness51%47%30-39 years old68%40-49 years old55%50-59 years oldPolitics & Current affairsTravelCooking41%40%37%48%60 years old and above35%Base: Readers (n 3,262)30
WHAT NON-FICTION TOPICS DO MALES READ? 20 to 29 year-old males read about health and fitness as well as sports, while older malesprefer information about Singapore, and politics and current affairs.20-29 yearsold30-39 yearsold40-49 yearsold50-59 yearsold60 years old &aboveAbout SingaporeAbout SingaporeAbout SingaporeAbout Singapore50%57%64%69%SportsSportsPolitics & Current affairsPolitics & Current affairsPolitics & Current affairs39%47%52%54%57%3Computers & ITPolitics & Current affairsBusiness & FinanceHealth & FitnessHealth & Fitness39%44%46%38%42%4TravelBusiness & FinanceSportsSports43%35%1Health & Fitness40%236%40%5Politics & Current affairsComputers & ITHealth & FitnessBusiness & Finance35%38%40%35%6About SingaporeHealth & FitnessTravel35%36%36%TravelComputers & IT736%35%*Note: Topics shown are read by at least 35% of baseBase of male readers: 20-29 yo (n 303); 30-39 yo (n 285); 40-49 yo (n 271); 50-59 yo (n 267); 60 yo and above (n 425)31
WHAT NON-FICTION TOPICS DO MALES READ? In addition to information about Singapore and politics and current affairs, males withuniversity degrees or higher education qualifications read about business and finance, ascompared to males with secondary school education or below.Primary school orbelowSecondaryschool/ITEA levels/Diploma/IBUniversity degree orhighe
Among Singapore residents, 79% spent at least 30 minutes reading daily, regardless of weekday or weekend. 20-29 years old 30-39 years old 40-49 years old 50-59 years old 60 years old Base: All respondents (n 3,515) 15 % by Age who read more than once a week *This group will b
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