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English-speaking book readers around the world say they plan to read more in 2023 than they did in 2022. Although eBooks and even audio books are increasingly popular, paper books remain the preferred format for readers around the world. This according to a survey of 945 book readers in 56 countries, conducted by THGM Writing Services.
Respondents tended to be light readers of 1-5 books in 2022 (32%) or heavy readers of 20+ books (27%). The United States, in particular, is a nation of bookworms, with 39% saying they were heavy readers.
But most people (64%), regardless of how many books they read in 2022, plan to read more in 2023. The top five genres around the world were History (34%), Mystery (33%), Biography (31%), Fantasy (29%) and Science fiction (26%).
“The results of the survey are encouraging,” said THGM Writing Services President David Leonhardt. “Reading is alive and well. People have every intent to keep on reading, and they are reading all genres of fiction and non-fiction.”
Print books still dominate
As to format, people read paperback books the most (41%), followed by Kindle (20%) and hard cover books (16%). Although audio books have a solid following and eBooks have gotten a lot of attention, paper (print) is still the preferred book-reading format. Americans were disproportionately devoted to Kindle (29%) and Canadians were disproportionately devoted to paperback (53%).
“Those who predicted the imminent end to printing on dead trees, did not take book readers into account,” said David Leonhardt. “They like the feel of paper. They like the smell of paper. They like to physically turn a page.”
About the survey
The complete global survey results have been published on the THGM blog, as have the US survey results and the Canadian survey results.
The survey was conducted in December 2022. Because this is an Internet poll, no margin of error is assigned to the results. The results have not been weighted by age, gender, location or any other factor.
This was not a random survey. Respondents tended to self-identify as “readers”. People who do not read books or have not read books in a while mostly declined to participate. When citing this survey, it would be most accurate to refer to readers.
About THGM Writing Services
THGM Writing Services helps individuals, small businesses and organizations find the right words to tell their stories and deliver their messages.
