55% of the population reads 30 minutes a day
The nation reads or listens to an average of 2.6 books per month, compared to 2.4 books last year. 55% of the population spends 30 minutes or more reading daily, while 15% do not read or listen to books. Novels are the most popular reading material and 60% of the population gave a book as a present during the year. 56% get ideas for reading material from friends and relatives and 36% from coverage in the media. 31% said they had not read a book in the last 30 days, but the definition of reading in the survey is reading traditional books, e-books, and listening to audiobooks.
This is one of the findings of a new reading survey conducted by the Icelandic Literature Center this fall in collaboration with six parties in the literature field. The research company Prósent was in charge of the survey, which took place from October 7 to 21, 2024. The sample was 2,300 people aged 18 and over, and the response rate was 50%.
"This is the eighth year that a similar survey has been submitted to the nation, where reading behavior and attitudes towards reading and literature are examined. The development from 2017 shows, among other things, that the nation's reading level remains the same. However, the reading behavior has changed when you look at whether traditional books, e-books or audiobooks are read and where readers get ideas for reading material," says an announcement from the center. "The results show that citizens are interested in reading books and reading is generally high in most social groups."