Overview
Reading the reader: A survey of Australian reading habits provides insights into contemporary preferences, behaviours and attitudes of Australians towards books and reading. The Australia Council has partnered with Macquarie University on this third and final stage of their three-year research project titled ‘The Australian Book Industry: Authors, Publishers and Readers in a Time of Change’.
Key findings
- Australians value and enjoy reading and would like to do it more – reading books ranks higher than browsing the internet and watching television as the leisure activity Australians enjoy the most.
- Readers are mixing new digital options with conventional ways of reading.
- Australians read more than book sales alone suggest – almost as many borrow books as buy them.
- The Crime/Mystery/Thriller genre is the most widely read category and takes top spot as favourite category.
- Australians value Australian books and the Australian book industry.
- The vast majority of Australians believe that books have a value that’s greater than their monetary cost.