Not So Huge Reading Gap Between China and Foreign Countries

Not So Huge Reading Gap Between China and Foreign Countries

It can be said that the popularity of national reading has never been so extensive and profound as it is today. However, recently, a report titled "China's Per Capita Reading Amount Is the Least in the World" is being widely circulated on the Internet. This has caused people's concern and doubt about the condition of national reading.

So, what is the real condition of China's national reading? How great is the gap between China and foreign countries? In that report, the statement that the per capita reading amount of Chinese people is 4.35 books is in accordance with the data of the 9th survey of national reading. But this survey data has two premises: one is that the data only refers to thecitizens in the age between 18-70. It neither includes the reading rate of more than 3 hundred million juveniles under the age of 18(the age between 0-17), nor includes the citizens over the age of 70. Another is that the data is just limited to the paper books. It neither includes the non-paper books, nor includes the data of digital reading and reading of teaching material and reference. In fact, in 2011, besides nationwide eachcitizen has read 4.35 books, each one has read 6.67 journals, 100.70 newspapers. Furthermore, the per capita reading amount of juveniles between the age of 0-17 is 7.32 books. Judging by the condition, Chinese national per capita reading amount which includes paper books, digital books and other types of publications is much more than 4.35 books.

How great is the gap when China's condition of national reading compared with foreign countries? A group of widespread data said that in the respect of the annual per capita national reading amount, Korea is 11 books, France is 20 books, Japan is 40 books, Israel has reached 64 books. But according to the textual research, these widespread data are not so reliable. According to the report of Condition Survey of Korean National Reading, in 2010, Koreanper capita national reading amount(the common books reading amount which excluded cartoons and journals) is 10.8 volumes. That is similar to 10.9 volumes in 2009. In accordance with relevant articles of International Publishing Blue Book 2008 to quote foreign documents to introduce the condition of some countries' national reading, in 2007, America's annual per capita national reading amount is about 4 books, except the persons that even have not read one book, the per capita reading amount of the interviewees is 7 books; the survey of French reading indicates that in 2005, French each people had read 8.4 books each year; according to the 60th survey of readers' opinions by Japanese Mainichi Shinbun, in 2006, Japanese had read 0.7 volumes each month, added up to 8.4 volumes each year. It can be seen that the data of per capita reading of some western countries is not so high as the rumor said, and the gap of per capita reading amount between China and foreign countries is not so great as it was misinformed on the Internet.