NZ National Reading Survey: number of readers dips slightly

Read NZ Te Pou Muramura has published the results from its 2021 National Reading Survey, which found the number of adults who read has dropped slightly since the poll was last conducted in 2018.

The number of adults who read or started to read at least one book in the past 12 months was down from 86% in 2018 to 85% in 2021. Of the 10–17-year-olds surveyed, 94% had read at least one book, down from 97% in 2018. On reading with children, 39% of respondents who had children under 10 in their household read with them every day, and 82% read with their children at least once a week.

The proportion of women reading (91%) has remained steady since 2018, while 79% of men picked up a book in the past year, down from 81% in 2018 and 84% in 2017. Of all adult respondents, 44% said they had read or started to read at least one book by a New Zealand author or poet in the past year, down from 55% in 2018.

‘It’s wonderful that New Zealanders love to read and especially share books with their tamariki,’ said Read NZ CEO Juliet Blyth. ‘But it’s concerning to see that men’s reading rates have dropped again since our 2018 survey.

‘We note that a lack of time remains a major barrier to reading for pleasure, especially for those aged 25 to 50. Many parents know the benefits of reading with their children, but there are 8% who don’t make time to do so.

‘This research is the latest snapshot of the reading landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand. We will continue to work to ensure we all keep reading because we believe it makes life better.’

The survey of nearly 2000 New Zealanders was conducted by Horizon Research Limited in late 2021.

Category: Local news