Most Japanese students surveyed spend under an hour a week reading
Videos and games were more enjoyable than books for 76.5% of respondents, according to the Hakuhodo Foundation’s Child Research Institute.
More than 70% of Japanese students surveyed reported either no weekly reading or under an hour with books, according to the Hakuhodo Foundation’s Child Research Institute. The findings also showed that many students enjoyed reading despite spending little time on it.
The online survey, conducted Aug. 9, gathered responses from 1,200 students across Japan and their parents. Students ranged from elementary school fourth-graders to those in their third year of junior high school. Its definition of books covered manga, picture books, encyclopedias, photo books, how-to books, digital books and audio books.
In a typical week, 17.4% reported doing no reading, while 55.2% read for under an hour. Asked about their enjoyment, 12.8% said they loved reading and 69.3% said they liked it or enjoyed it to some extent. Junior high students reported less enjoyment and generally devoted less time to books than elementary pupils.
When comparing activities, 76.5% preferred watching videos or playing games to reading. Separately, 63.9% described reading as fun.
The survey also examined family habits. Among children whose parents read for at least an hour weekly, 91.8% said they liked books. Nearly 89% of parents of children who loved reading said they encouraged the activity by supplying books matching their interests, compared with 67% of all parents surveyed. Regular reading aloud was reported by 83.7% of parents of book-loving children, against 50.8% overall.
