Survey Results Summary July 8, 2012

1. Survey Results Summary July 8, 2012

2. Survey Objectives This survey aims to: Identify Hong Kong general public’s reading habits Examine Hong Kong general public’s perceptions and views about reading Analyze the general reading habits in Hong Kong By constructing the SHKP Reading Index in a quantitative approach and conducting regular surveys, to study and track the changes of reading culture in Hong Kong

3. Survey Methodology & Execution Process A quantitative survey on the general public’s reading habits, perceptions and views about reading was conducted in three phases: • Phase 1: • Questionnaire Design • - Literature review • Focus group discussion • Pilot survey • Phase 2: • Data Collection • - Data collection • Data consolidation • Data input • Phase 3: • Data Analysis • - Data analysis • Report production • Target population: Hong Kong residents, aged 15 or above • Data collection method: Telephone survey by random sampling • Survey period: June 1-20, 2012 • No. of respondents: 800 • Response rate: 16.7% • Confidence level: 95% • Margin of error: 3.46% • *During analysis, the data was weighted according to the demographic distribution (i.e. age and gender) provided by the Census and Statistics Department. Outliers were removed, to ensure the representativeness of findings.

4. SHKP Reading Index Definition of Reading Habits Meaning of Index Definition of Reading My Reading Index How much do you like reading? 10 stands for “very much”, 1 stands for “strongly dislike” and 5 stands for “average” Index on HK Reading Culture What do you think of the reading culture in Hong Kong in general? 10 stands for “very good”, 1 stands for “very bad” and 5 stands for “average”. Average scores of the above questions show the general public’s interest for reading and their views about the reading culture in general. The higher the scores means (1) a stronger interest in Hong Kong People for reading; (2) the more positive their views on the reading culture in Hong Kong. Due to different economic situations, different countries and regions have different definitions of reading. In this survey, the definition is: “Any kind of reading that is independent of any school work or assessment system, with the exclusion of magazines or newspapers. Book(s) that one read from the beginning to the end, or read at least 10 pages of, are included.” Have a reading habit is defined as: “Have read book(s) in the last six months prior to the Survey.” Not having a reading habit is defined as: “Have not read any books in the last six months prior to the Survey.”

5. My Reading Index My Reading Index =4.81 Level of Interest • Respondents were asked to rate the level of interest in reading. The survey results show that the average score is 4.81 (1 stands for “not interested at all” and 10 stands for “very interested”) • The data shows that the interest Hong Kong people have for reading is “average”. Question: How interested are you in reading? 10 stands for “very interested”, 1 stands for “not interested at all” and 5 stands for “average”

6. Index on HK Reading Culture Index on HK Reading Culture =4.77 Views about Reading Culture Respondents were asked to rate the general reading culture in Hong Kong. The survey results show that the average score is 4.77 (1 stands for “very bad” and 10 stands for “very good”) The data shows that respondents’ views about the reading culture of Hong Kong is “average”. Questions: In general, what do you think of the reading culture in Hong Kong? 10 stands for “very good”, 1 stands for “very bad” and 5 stands for “average”.

7. Reading Habits of Hong Kong Residents Proportion of the population with a reading habit: 58.2% Proportion of the population without a reading habit: 41.8% Question: When was the last time you read a book (i.e. reading 10 pages or more)? The data shows that 58.2% of all the respondents have a reading habit (i.e. have read a book in the past six months) and 41.8% do not have a reading habit.

8. Reading Habits of Hong Kong Residents Analysis by Age Analysis by Worked Hours Analysis based by Residing District Analysis based by Occupation Analysis based by Education Level ＊ The above analysis is for reference only as some districts have a relatively small base. Question: When was the last time you read a book (i.e. 10 pages or more)? Respondents’ age, education, occupation and work hours are significantly related to their reading habits – the younger the respondents, the more they tend to have a reading habit; managers/ executives and professionals show a higher proportion of reading in the last six months (86.1%) compared to respondents of other occupations. Respondents who work 35-44 hours every week shows a higher proportion of reading in the last six months (87.6%) and all of the respondents who work over 64 hours every week said that they have not read in the past six months (0.0%).

9. Quantity and Types of Readings Number of books Hong Kong Residents read in last six months prior to the Survey: • The major types of books that Hong Kong residents (who have a reading habit) read are ‘Novel/ Prose/ Literature’ (46.8%) and ‘Lifestyle & General Interest’ (24.6%). Question: What are the major types of books you have read in the past six months? * Respondents can choose more than one answer Base: Respondents with a reading habit; N=466

10. Hong Kong Residents’ Perception and Views About Reading 57.6% 56.9% 56.5% 50.6% 50.4% 49.7% 42.1% 38.9% 34.5% 33.0% 26.6% 22.9% Question: To what extent do you agree with these views about reading? 5 stands for “strongly agree”, 1 stands for “strongly disagree”, 3 stands for “average” Regarding the perceptions and views on reading, most respondents agreed that “reading could boost their confidence” (57.6%), followed by “reading could develop their temperament” (56.9%), “reading could facilitate their career development” (56.5%), “reading could solve their problems in life” (50.6%) and “reading could improve their social skills” (50.4%) etc. Less respondents agreed that “reading could help socialize with the opposite sex/ enhance relationships with them” (22.9%), “reading could change one’s destiny” (26.6%) and “reading could help move up to another level of society” (33.0%), meaning respondents focus more on their personal qualities.

11. The Purpose of Reading • Question: In your opinion, what is the main purpose of reading and why? • Respondents can choose more than one answer Base: Respondents with a reading habit; N=466 The major reasons for reading included “passing time” (44.9%), “leisure & entertainment” (38.1%), “gaining knowledge” (28.8%), “developing personal capability and temperament” (13.2%) and “cultivating personal character” (12.3%). It shows that respondents mainly read for leisure and entertainment, gaining knowledge and cultivating personal character – and less for career development and enhancing social status.

12. Reasons For Not Having a Reading Habit Base: Respondents without a reading habit; N=334 Question: Why you do not have a reading habit? * Respondents can choose more than one answer Among the respondents who do not have a reading habit (i.e. have not read any books within six months prior to the survey, or saying that one does not having a reading habit) major reasons not to read included “too busy at work/ study” (28.2%) and “too busy with daily life” (25%). Nearly one quarter of the respondents said that they are “not interested in reading”.

13. Time Spent on Reading and Preferences Time spent reading every week: When asked about their preference of leisure activities during extra leisure time, respondents ranked “reading” 7th, among all nine options. Question: If you have extra leisure time outside of work or study, what activities do you want to do most? 1 stands for the top preference, 2 stands for the second preference and so on. You can choose up to 5 activities. Base: All respondents; N=800

14. Reading Habits (Printed Books vs. Electronic Books) Analysis by age Base: Total number of books read Question: How many printed and electronic books have you read in the past six months? Base: Respondents who have a reading habit Among all the books read by respondents, 87.2% are printed books and 12.8% are electronic books. However, we should not disregard the interest younger respondents have for electronic books (33% of respondents aged 15-34 said that they get free readings or download electronic books with their computers/ mobile phones or tablet PCs).

15. Views on Business Sector to Promote Reading in Hong Kong Agreement level on ‘business sector could help promote reading in Hong Kong’ Views about promoting reading in Hong Kong 8.7% 48.2% Base: All respondents; N=800 Base: All respondents; N=800 Question: Do you think there are enough activities in Hong Kong to promote reading? Question: To what extent do you agree that the business sector could help promote reading in Hong Kong? Nearly half of the respondents (47.8%) said that the activities promoting reading in Hong Kong were inadequate, while only 8.7% felt the amount was sufficient (including “sufficient” and “very sufficient”). Nearly half of all the respondents (48.2%) agreed that the business sector could help to promote the reading culture in Hong Kong.

16. Conclusions and Recommendations • As illustrated in the findings “My Reading Index” (i.e. the average score of the respondents’ interests in reading) was 4.81 and “Index on HK Reading Culture” (i.e. the average score of the respondents’ opinions about the reading culture in Hong Kong) was 4.77. Respondents with a reading habit yielded 60% of the samples while the rest were respondents without a reading habit. Overall, the reading habit of Hong Kong residents was just fair. • On average, the general public of Hong Kong read 1.8 hours per week and 1.9 books every six months, while Hong Kong residents with a reading habit read 3.9 hours every six months. • Inconsistencies between respondents’ opinions about the benefits of reading and their reading purposes were observed. Although the majority of respondents agreed that “reading could enhance their confidence” and “reading could enhance their temperaments”, they mainly read for entertainment and leisure only. Meanwhile, “increasing their promotion opportunities” and “improving their social status” were the least indicated reasons for reading, while more than half of the respondents agreed, “reading could help their career development”. • Among respondents without a reading habit, most claimed “too busy at work/ study” or “too busy with daily life” as the reason. Yet, “reading” was ranked the seventh when the respondents were asked to indicate their priority among the nine leisure activities listed. It could be reflected that many respondents were not interested in reading, rather than too busy to read. • Printed books were still the preferred reading mode of the respondents. However, the interests in reading electronic books among younger respondents should not be neglected. • More than half of the respondents reported that the promotion for reading in Hong Kong was inadequate and nearly half of the respondents agreed that commercial sector could help promote the reading culture of Hong Kong. As the reading culture was just fair, moving forward, we hope that more people can enjoy the benefits of reading, through joint efforts in promoting a reading culture by different sectors in the community.