Reading At All-Time High In Spain

READING is at an all-time high in Spain as a result of the coronavirus pandemic

Not only has the number of people reading books increased in Spain since the beginning of the pandemic, but the figures have remained consistent even after confinement ended, indicating that many took up the habit during lockdown and have been bitten by the reading bug. The amount of time dedicated to reading reached an all-time high during home confinement, according to a report published by the Barometer of Reading Habits and 2020 Book Purchase published on Friday, February 26.

The report, prepared by the Federation of Publishers Guilds of Spain (FGEE) and the Ministry of Culture, revealed that the number of people over the age of 14 who read in their spare time increased in 2020, but not by as much as experts would have predicted; in fact, the figure is surprisingly only up 0.3 per cent on 2019. However, the data of frequent readers is based upon both those who read in their free time, and those who read for educational purposes: the latter was down from 27.5 per cent in 2019 to 23.1 per cent in 2020, owing to school and university closures, and thus the figures appear skewed.

Overall, the data is encouraging, and nationally the number of frequent readers is on the rise. Likewise, the amount of time now spent reading has increased to 8 and a half hours compared with seven before quarantine, and half an hour more than in 2019.

“Reading is a fundamental pillar of culture. Reading makes us free,” minister José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, who plans to launch a new Reading Promotion Plan this summer, added.

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