In March 2007, the Library and Information Update reported on a survey of 4,000 readers, which found that a third of those questioned read "challenging literature" in order to seem well-read, even though they couldn't follow what the book was about. Almost half of respondents said that reading classics makes you look more intelligent.

However, 40% said they had lied about having read certain books, “just so they could join in with the conversation”. 10% of men said they would fib about reading a certain book to impress the opposite sex; and “most people” said they would expand on their literary repertoire to impress a new date. In the workplace, 15% said they had lied about books they have read to a new colleague, and 5% to their employer.

Young people appeared to use book to impress the most. More than half of the 19 to 21-year-olds questioned said they lie about books (but they are also the most likely to get caught out when quizzed).

The top book for impressing people is Lord of the Rings. Bluffers favourites, in order, were:

Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
War and Peace – Tolstoy
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus – John Gray
1984 – George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
The Diary of Anne Frank

The survey was carried out by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

(Library and Information Update, March 2007)

Big Bad Read seeks favourite literary villian

Bloomsbury is launching a UK wide search to find the nation's favourite literary villain in a children's book. From Cruella DeVille to Moriarty, from Bill Sikes to Voldemort there have been hundreds of villains that readers have enjoyed hating. But which one is the ultimate baddie?

With the help of several Children's Books Experts, Bloomsbury has drawn up a list of 40 of those most vile villains. These can be found at www.bigbadread.co.uk where you can vote for your favourite. If there is a villain missing then there is also the opportunity to add to the list.

Children who complain to their teachers about having to read too many books can expect sympathy from one of the most powerful figures in education. David Bell, the chief inspector, admits that as a schoolboy he was a reluctant reader who was turned off books. "It may be a dangerous confession from the chief inspector of schools, but I wasn't terribly interested in reading when I was at school," he writes. In an interview with the TES, Mr Bell said that he was unable to recall his first book. However, he remembered a "dire" primary-school reading scheme, called Wide Range Readers. "It put me off for years afterwards," he said.

(TES, 1 October 2004)

More people than ever are reading for pleasure: 65% (according to a survey in June 04) compared with 55% in 1979. But now most prefer to buy their own books, rather than borrow. There are many reasons behind this change ranging from frustration at the petty bureaucracy of library borrowing to the booktrade's adoption of Hollywood's marketing techniques to the simple fact that many bookshops are open when libraries are shut. Whatever the reason, booksales in Britain have risen by 19% in five years. So great is the "reading frenzy" now, says a spokesman for Barnardo's, that his charity is converting its cast-off clothes shops into second-hand bookshops. Last year they sold a million books. Oxfam is doing the same. The Oxfam bookshop in Reading sells 1,500 books a week. OK, so we may all be reading tripe, on the other hand, we could be searching out secondhand editions of Proust and Joyce. The indisputable point is that most of us are reading more than ever. If this is dumbing down, let's have more of it.

Richard Morrison

(Times, 14 September 2004)

(Guardian, 09.07.04)

Books are back in fashion

The latest craze sweeping Britain has been around for years. Two out of three adults are now choosing to pick up a book in their leisure time, compared to just over half in 1977, a Government survey has found. In 1977, only 54% of Britons enjoyed a good book, while in 2002 the figure had risen to 65% in Britain and 67% for Scotland.

The phenomenal success of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series and television promotions such as the BBC's Big Read and the Richard and Judy show's book club on Channel 4 are among the reasons given for the upsurge in interest in the printed word. [Although these could not have had direct influence on this particular survey, since they occurred in 2003.]

The General Household Survey is carried out by the Office for National Statistics and collects information on a range of topics from people living in private households in Great Britain.

(Glasgow Herald and Daily Mail, 30 June 2004)

Are men who read more attractive?

Men who read stand a better chance of attracting women according to a study. Women claim they are more likely to be seduced by a well-read man.

85% of women questioned in a NOP survey for the publisher Penguin said they would be more attracted to a man who talked about literature. But women would be inclined to judge men by the type of books they read. On this rating, reading Harry Potter scored very badly.

(The Times, 7 June 2004)

Books face challenge to win new readers

Books need to improve their image to win over new readers, early findings from Book Marketing Ltd's Expanding the Market research suggested in March 2004.

The research included a quantitative study, using an omnibus survey among 2,000 adults interviewed face to face, to examine how the adult population divides in terms of book reading and buying, and the demographics of different types of reader/buyer; and 200 in-depth interviews with non or light readers and/or non or light book-buyers.

Non-book-buyers interviewed felt that CDs and videos offered better value than books, because of future repeat use. The cinema was seen as more social, and newspapers and magazines offered lower cost reading. Non-buyers tended to borrow books, and 15% said they had bought second-hand.

Those who do not read at all preferred television to books, as TV was "pure relaxation" and not a solitary occupation. In particular, 16 to 24-year-olds said that they had trouble finding books they wanted to read.

But 82% of non-readers acknowledged the importance of reading to children, and most saw themselves reading again in the future when they were less busy.

A substantial minority of light book-buyers said that they were put off buying books as gifts because they are too expensive, or the price is too obvious on the jacket. A third of light buyers said they had trouble finding books they want to read because of a poor selection. They said they wanted more consistent bookshop displays, and guidance on age for children's books. They also complained of poor descriptions and cover blurbs that did not tell them what a book was about, and why they should want to read it.

BML's research has been supported by Arts Council England and several large publishers. The next stage of the project is to test "innovative and positive" new approaches to encouraging these groups to read and buy more.

(The Bookseller, 5 March 2004)

(Library and Information Update, November 2003)

Half of the FE students taking part in English courses in a deprived part of the Midlands rarely or never read for pleasure, according to a survey of students aged 16-19 at seven colleges in the Black Country. The survey was conducted by Alex Kendall of the University of Wolverhampton.

Their most popular reading material is tabloid newspapers and magazines. Four out of five of the 340 students surveyed were studying A levels and three-quarters were female, yet 15% said they never read for pleasure and 24% did not do so regularly.

The rest read for pleasure at least once a week but only 3% did so every day. Most preferred to socialise and watch TV.

The findings supported the views of college teachers who told the researcher that many A level students had "poor reading skills and weak vocabulary" and few read beyond their coursework.

(TES, 20 September 2002)

'Kidult' key to bedtime story success

Books that appeal to both children and adults, such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, have helped to more than double the number of parents reading to their children, a survey has found. The survey, by energy company Powergen, found 90% of parents now read their children a bedtime story. Half of parents had read a so-called 'kidult' book in the past year; 94% of mothers read to their children and 86% of fathers. The survey also found that people in Scotland were more likely to read to their children than other regions - 92% said they read with their children on a regular basis. 

Psychologist and author Dr Aric Sigman said, "Books such as The Lord of the Rings can be interpreted on more than one level, making them interesting and stimulating for all ages. Parents and children are now actively choosing to read the same books."
 

(Nursery World, 1 August 2002) 

40% of Britons never read books and newspapers have taken over from the novel as the most popular form of reading according to a study conducted by the Orange prize for fiction.

The researchers, Book Marketing Ltd, asked 200 couples to record their reading habits for three months. The results show that the "two-novel household" is rarer than the two-car household, with 23% of couples both reading fiction compared with 26% each owning a car. The study shows that people spend six hours a week reading compared with 23.5 hours a week watching television. 

The internet features strongly, with people spending on average seven minutes a day online. Magazines follow closely attracting on average five minutes' reading time everyday. Two minutes are spent reading reference books.

Overall, men spend more time reading each day than women. But the research shows that they focus more on electronic media and newspapers than books.

Women are more dedicated novel readers, spending 25 minutes a day reading fiction, rising to 70 minutes a day while on holiday. The most popular place to read was in bed.

(The Telegraph, 27 May 2002)

The Scots are the most avid readers outstripping their supposed sophisticates of London and the literary Welsh. A survey published for World Book Day shows that they read for an average of 5.8 hours a week. The average citizen of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Cleveland read for just 3.9 hours a week.

The north also had the highest number of people who do not read at all - 19% of those surveyed by Book Marketing

The survey also asked why people read. The highest proportion, 54% said it was for relaxation or to relieve stress, 38% read for self-improvement, 22% for escapism and 20% while travelling.
 

Reading habits
 

	Average hours per week reading	Don't Read
Scotland	5.8	9%
London	4.9	9%
Yorks	4.9	13%
NW	4.7	14%
SE	4.4	12%
West Mids	4.3	15%
Wales	4.3	14%
E Anglia	4.3	15%
SW	4.0	13%
East Mids	4.0	17%
North	3.9	19%
All	4.6	13%

(Telegraph, 1 March 2001)

JRR Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings was chosen as the nation's favourite book by 20% of readers interviewed for a survey by WHSmith. It gained twice the votes of the second-placed book, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. 

The results were compiled despite the fact that 43% of those interviewed could not name a favourite book and 45% failed to come up with a favourite author.

The survey also investigated the nation's reading habits, and found that women read more than men, with 40% getting through two to four books per month and 2% saying they read ten or more. They also read in bed - 62% compared with a male tally of 46%. Men, however are far more likely to read on the lavatory, with 9% confessing to it, compared with only 4% of women. 
The survey was based on a telephone questionnaire of 1,022 people aged 16 upwards from all over the country. 

Nearly two-thirds of those who took part in the study said they had started a book and not finished it.

(Daily Mail, 4 August 2000)

Young People's Reading at the End of the Century: Focus on Ethnic Minority Pupils 1999

A report publised in 1999 called Young People's Reading at the End of the Century: Focus on Ethnic Minority Pupils published by Roehampton Institute's National Centre for Research in Children's Literature has looked at the reading habits of ethnic minority girls. It has found that that ethnic minority girls rely more on what they read for information about sex, pregnancy and changes in the body than young people generally. The study also shows that the gap between girls' and boys' enthusiasm for reading is narrower in ethnic minority communities, and fathers in these communities are more likely to be involved in their children's reading. 

Young People's Reading at the End of the Century: Focus on Pupils with Special Educational Needs 1999

A parallel report: Young People's Reading at the End of the Century: Focus on Pupils with Special Educational Needs shows that pupils with special needs buy and borrow significantly fewer books than their peers and that their parents are less likely to buy them books. They are dependent on adult professionals' choice of books for them. It emerges strongly that young people with special needs would like to choose their own books, but with more help. 

Contact the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature (NCRCL), University of Surrey Roehampton, Digby Stuart College, London SW15 5PH. Tel: 020 8392 3008. Email: NCRCL@roehampton.ac.uk. Website: www.ncrcl.ac.uk.
 

Teenagers' attitudes to reading 1999 

The number of teenagers admitting to reading for pleasure slumped to a new low last year despite the Government's high-profile bid to fire youngsters' enthusiasm for literature. 
The seemingly unstoppable rise of computer games is blamed as major new research reveals that only one in five 14 and 15-year-olds now picks up a book in the evening. Almost three out of five boys play computer games regularly. 

Teenagers' enthusiasm for reading at home has been on the slide throughout the 1990s, according to Young People in 1998, a report compiled from surveys of 18,221 pupils by the Schools Health Education Unit based at Exeter University. 

In 1991, 25% of boys aged 14 and 15 reported reading a book for pleasure the previous evening. For girls of the same age, the figure was 35%.  Last year, the respective statistics were 18%  and 22%. 

Copies of the report are available at £35 from the Schools Health Education Unit, Renslade House, Bonhay Road, Exeter, Devon EX4 3AY. Tel: 01392 667272, e-mail sheu@exeter.ac.uk

(TES, 5 November 1999)

The National Survey of Reading Habits, distributed through Waterstones, half of all UK public libraries and The Guardian, generated more than 50,000 responses. It found that reading was viewed as a sociable activity - 87% of people lent books and 92% regularly discussed reading. 
The survey generated a wealth of useful information for publishers and booksellers. 95% of respondents said they used bookshops as a place to browse, 74% read more than 15 books a year and 90% had never purchased a book from the internet. 
66% of people said they chose books on the basis of their jackets, and nearly 75% said they were influenced by book reviews. 
Reader development organisation the Reading Partnership will be holding a seminar for publishers on the survey, which they coordinated, early in 2000 

(The Bookseller, 19 November 1999)

Family and Education: the Sixth Nestle Family Monitor, April 1999

In recognition of the National Year of Reading and at the request of the National Literacy Trust the Nestle Family Monitor Series examined attitudes towards reading, particularly as a family pursuit. (MORI carried out a survey of attitudes to reading at the start of the Year - see below) 

MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 525 adults between 17 March and 13 April 1999. 

Main findings: 
Reading and the family 

• Encouragingly reading is still seen as an important part of family life. The British regard the learning of the 3Rs as fundamental in the development of a child. 97% believe it is important for families with young children to read together.
• Nine out of ten mothers say they read to their offspring at least once a week. 70% say they do so every day.

• For the majority of the British public, increasing teachers' pay is not a top priority in terms of improving educational standards.
• To improve education in Britain today, the British would like to see a reduction in class size and emphasis on the 3Rs.

• Although new technology is continuously providing innovation in communicating the written word, newspapers and books remain Britons' preferred ways of reading as opposed to teletext and the internet.
• Despite the majority of Britons having read at least one literary classic, biographies, thrillers and humorous books are most popular.
• The British still value their libraries and see them as more than just a provider of books.
• 35% of Britons have heard of the National Year of Reading. Awareness is highest among parents and the middle class.
• Most people have positive feelings about reading, with two-thirds describing it as relaxing (66%) and enjoyable (65%) and three in five describing it as informative (59%).

Attitudes towards reading, A Mori social research study on behalf of the National Literacy Trust, September 1998

This research was commissioned in order to inform the first National Year of Reading (which ran from September 1998 to August 1999).

Background
The aim of the research was to obtain information on the general public's reading habits and their attitudes towards reading. The key areas identified for exploration were the perceived importance of reading, uses of reading, the role of the family, and attitudes to reading in a changing world. 

The research was based on qualitative group discussions carried out using focus groups, with a broad social mix of groups. In addition, questions were placed on MORI's Ominibus survey. A representative quota sample of adults aged 15+ were interviewed. 
From 'Attitudes Towards Reading' Research Study Conducted for the National Literacy Trust MORI September 1998

Main findings 

Attitudes
Reading is considered an essential skill by all types of people, and is percieved as being vital for people's job prospects. Parents feel that reading with their child is very important and a vital part of their child's development. However, despite there being a universal belief in the importance of reading, different groups of the population hold very different attitudes to reading and have very different reading habits. People's reading habits stem from their attitudes and the main determining factors appear to be sex, social class and life-stage. Lack of time prevents many people from reading, especially mothers of young children. 

Young people, men
Younger people (the under 25s) have the least positive attitudes toward reading. Young men in particular appeared to dislike reading, but also claimed that they would read books about subjects that interested them. Young parents would read more if they had the time. Television and videos were often preferred by young people. They tend to associate reading books with dull and boring school experiences, especially young men from the C2DE social classes. 

Women
Women tend to hold more positive views about reading than men, reading more books, particularly fiction. Social class differences are also apparent with those from AB social classes having the most positive attitudes and reading most, and those from DE social groups having the least positive attitudes and reading the least. 

Older people
The group discussions found that older people appear to have the most positive attitudes towards reading, although this could also be because this group came from the ABC I social classes. 

Mothers
The biggest barrier to reading among mothers, particularly mothers of younger children, is a lack of time. In general, mothers would like to read more but are too tied up with their children during the day and too tired at night. The most common time for this group to read is before going to sleep, with very few reading during the day, there is some guilt associated with reading during the day as mothers feel their job is to look after their family and home. 

Fathers 
The biggest barrier to reading among fathers is also a lack of time, although this is mainly due to work commitments. Most of the reading fathers of young children do is either associated with work or with their children. Men appear to be happier with the amount they read compared to women, and do not express as much desire to read more in the future. 

Parents 
Parents are very enthusiastic about talking about their children's reading. Indeed in some instances it is difficult to isolate parents' reading habits which do not involve their children. All parents consider the ability to read to be very important for their children and they all read to them when they are/were young. The vast majority enjoy the experience of reading to, or with, their children. Many of the parents who do not read much themselves want their children to be 'better readers' than they are. 

The majority of parents are confident about their involvement with their children's reading. They feel that it should be a joint responsibility between parents and their children's school to teach and encourage children to read and, on the whole, schools seem to be encouraging and supportive. There is, however, some concern about contradictions in methods used to teach reading between schools and parents, highlighting how useful information to parents can be. Parental involvement with their children's reading appears to decline once they have become 'independent' readers, around the move to secondary school. After this stage many parents do not monitor what, or how much, their children are reading, but may still have some influence in terms of helping with homework or recommending things to read. 

Reading in the future 
Most people in the MORI survey believed that reading will become more important in the future. They feel that the growth of computers and the Internet will mean that the ability to read will be vital.There are concerns that computers take away some of the skills from reading, rather than encouraging them. Some people fear that tools such as spellchecks and voice recognition techniques will have a detrimental effect on reading skills. Most people would personally like to read more in the future, although less feel that they actually will read more. However, a study by Corporate Intelligence showed that the greatest challenge to traditional booksellers is the competition posed by other leisure goods such as music, videos and most dramatically, the cinema. All have left book sales behind during the 1990s. Consumer expenditure on cinema tickets has doubled over the past six years, while the amount we spend on CDs, tapes and videos is up by 60 per cent. Having outstripped magazine sales in the first years of the decade, books have even been left behind by periodicals. 

This research, particularly the statistic that women read more than men, is echoed by other studies, as here, for example that by  Cultural Trends, which stated that, 'Thirty per cent of men claimed to have finished reading a book within the last fortnight compared with 47% of women. Also, 35% of men claimed that it was five years or longer since they had finished reading a book for pleasure (if ever) compared to 20% of women.'