24/11/2021

Why is it that some people devour books avidly, while others fail to read even one book a year?

What influences our decisions about the books we read, where we get them from, and how we read them? And what stops people from reading more books, more often?  

Australia Reads has surveyed more than 3,000 Australians in an online interview designed to help the book industry better understand reader behaviour (especially around how consumers choose books) and inform key investment decisions when it comes to promoting Australian reading culture.

Released this week, the National Reading Survey 2021 explores how Australians read, borrow and buy books, and discovered how this has—and hasn’t—changed during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021.

A summary of key findings can be viewed here, with the full results and report are available on request from [email protected].

This research has been made possible thanks to the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund; conducted in partnership with LightSpeed, part of the profiles division of Kantar; and in consultation with the Trade Publishing Committee of the Australian Publishers Association.

Australia Reads is also extremely grateful for the support of the following publishing houses who invited their subscribers to participate in the National Reading Survey: Hachette Australia, Pan Macmillan Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia, Taylor & Francis Group Australasia, Text Publishing, Thames & Hudson Australia, and University of Queensland Press.  

Further information on Australia Reads can be found at www.australiareads.org.au