TOKYO (Kyodo) — A record 62.6 percent of respondents reported not reading a single book per month, making up the majority for the first time, a national language survey by the Cultural Affairs Agency showed Tuesday.
The all-time high figure in a survey asking people how many books they read a month, including e-books but not magazines and comics, marks a 15.3 percentage point increase from the last survey conducted in fiscal 2018.
But the poll also found that 75.3 percent of those who do not read books regularly still obtain information from other sources, such as social media posts and online articles, “almost every day.”
An agency official stressed the value of written content, whether in paper or electronic form, saying, “It is important to maintain or increase the chance to lay eyes on words by utilizing both.”
The survey, conducted every five years since fiscal 2008, covered 6,000 individuals aged 16 or older, with valid responses from 3,559 between January and March 2024.
Of the respondents, 40.3 percent said they read e-books, up 15.1 points from the last survey. Among them, 48.4 percent read more e-books than conventional books, magazines or comics, a 13.9 point increase.
But a record 69.1 percent said the amount of book reading they do has fallen, with 43.6 percent citing “information devices taking up time.” That answer tended to be chosen more by the younger generation.
Among the 5.5 percent whose book reading has actually increased, 18.6 percent said it was “because accessing e-books has become easier.”
Over 60% in Japan read no books each month, majority for 1st time
