A comprehensive evaluation report about city-wide reading was issued by Yichang Office in charge of nationwide reading activities before the World Reading Day comes. According to the report, citizens read 7.6 books per capita, and on average spend 51 minutes reading every day, digital reading accounting for 44.5%. 97.96% of the residents showed their approval of building Yichang into a reading city. It is the first time that our city has issued the Nationwide Reading Report to public.

At the end of last year, Yichang Survey Team of National Bureau of Statistics, entrusted by the Municipal Popularity Department and Yichang Office in charge of nationwide reading activities, carried out comprehensive evaluation of nationwide reading in 14 counties and districts attached to Yichang. Questionnaire survey, field survey and data verification are all used. 5000 valid questionnaires are distributed to people with different professionals, including civil servants, institution staff, students, enterprise staff, farmers, freelancers, etc.

Enriching knowledge is the main reason for reading.

46.28% respondents think that the purpose of reading is to enrich knowledge, followed by the interests and need of working. 25.76% respondents think that people read for broadening their horizons followed by enriching knowledge, pacifying mood, improving EQ, writing skills, etc.

Paper reading and digital reading appeal almost the same number of readers, with newspaper enjoying largest readers.

According to the survey, paper reading accounts for 55.49%; digital reading accounts for 44.51%, which almost appeal the same number of readers. Reading rate of printed newspapers is the highest, at 23.91%, followed by mobile reading, accounting for 23.51%, and then followed by paper books, periodicals, network reading and so on.

On average, every one reads 7.6 books per year and spends 51 minutes in reading per day.

According to the Survey, 46% people read one to five books every year and as many as 6% people almost don’t read at all. Every one reads 7.6 books per year. 36% people read about 1 hour every day and on average every one spends 51 minutes in reading per day.  

The money spent on book per person is RMB232 every year, and every household owns 70 books on average.

22% residents spend 200 to 500 yuan in buying books per year and 32% households own 20 to 50 books. The money spent on book per person is RMB232 every year, and every household owns 70 books on average. Types of book are mainly concentrated on life, literature, learning, news, and science books account for only 8.25%.

The reading source mainly comes from entity bookstores and network source accounts for 40%.

The books mainly came from entity bookstores, accounting for 23.3%, followed by online download, online bookstores and libraries, which account for 17.5%, 17.8% and 16.5% respectively. The source of the network accounted for 36.3% of the total.

66.1% people know the reading activity and 97.96% people support to build Yichang into a reading city.

Results showed that most of the residents know the World Reading Day. 3305 people (66.1%) know the activity of nationwide reading among the 5000 people surveyed. 4898 people (97.96%) support the setting up Yichang into a reading city, which shows that it is the wish of everybody to build Yichang into a reading city.

In addition, residents in the city area spend more time in reading and read more books than residents in the counties, while the latter go to library more often than the former.  (Reporter Huang Chunmei, Correspondent Zhao Yanjun)