The First SHKP Reading Index reveals: Nearly 60% of Hong Kong residents have reading habits

08 Jul 2012


Prior to the opening of this year's Hong Kong Book Fair, Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) commissioned Powersoft Consultancy, an affiliate of the Roundtable Institute and Its Network, to conduct the first 2012 SHKP Reading Index survey to systematically measure the Hong Kong public's reading habits and assess the overall reading culture of local society. The study covered both printed and electronic books.


A press conference was held today (July 8) to announce the findings. Present were SHKP Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer Patrick K W Chan, Powersoft Executive Director Gary Wong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Department of Government & Public Administration Ivan Choy Chi-keung and Joint Publishing Co. Ltd. Deputy General Manager Janice Yip. Mr Choy gave his view of the survey findings from the perspective of a scholar and writer, while Ms Yip compared it against the landscape of the latest book-purchasing trends among Hong Kong people.


The survey revealed that "My Reading Index" stands at 4.81 (with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest), indicating that the respondents' interest in reading is medium. The "Index of Hong Kong Reading Culture" was 4.77 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) which mirrors the medium general reading atmosphere.


"Books can be regarded as a kind of passport to the world or a map to lead us to a better life," says Mr Chan on behalf of the organizer of this research project. "From this report, about half of the respondents agreed that the business sector can help promote better reading habits in Hong Kong. This reinforces SHKP's long-term commitment to the promotion of reading through an array of activities staged by the SHKP Book Club."


"We at SHKP will continue to make efficient use of our resources and network to encourage Hong Kong people to embrace books for exploring knowledge and self-enrichment," adds Mr Chan. "We will make the SHKP Reading Index an annual study to reflect the latest developments and track any changes in the public's reading habits and culture."


Mr Chan also says that subsequent to the "A Letter to My Family" Book Review Competition launched earlier by the SHKP Book Club, a series of activities will be held during the Hong Kong Book Fair as part of its efforts to promote reading, including the sponsorship of a programme for the fifth consecutive year that lets underprivileged children participate in this annual event. SHKP will also continue working with Joint Publishing to organize the bi-annual Young Writers' Debut Competition to encourage youngsters to realize their dreams of becoming published authors.


The first SHKP Reading Index survey was carried out from 1st to 20th June via telephone interviews. A total of 800 Hong Kong residents aged 15 and above, selected by random sampling, were interviewed.


A "fair" reading culture in Hong Kong


The survey revealed that "My Reading Index" stands at 4.81 (with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest). This indicates that the respondents' interest in reading is medium. The "Index of Hong Kong Reading Culture" was 4.77 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) which mirrors the medium general reading atmosphere.


More than half of Hong Kong residents have reading habits


This study shows that 58.2% of all respondents said they had reading habits while those who didn't read at all totaled 41.8%. The survey also shows that the younger the respondent, the higher the tendency to read.


Breaking down readers by occupation, managers/executives/professionals have a higher tendency to read (86.1%). Those who work 35 to 44 hours a week are more likely to read (87.6%) compared to working class people who put in 64 hours or more. Among this cohort none said that they had read any books in the last six months.


Hong Kong people read less than two books in six months and read less than two hours in a week


The report reveals that the average numbers of books being read by the general public of Hong Kong and the respondents with reading habits are 1.9 and 4 respectively.


The average time spent on reading books is 1.8 hours per week among the general public of Hong Kong and 3.9 hours among those who said they had read books over the last six months.


Novels and literature are the most popular reading choices


Those who do read tend to choose novels/literature books most often (46.8%), followed by lifestyle books (24.6%), psychology/health/medicine titles (17.0%) and geography or travel books (15.7%), revealing that novels and literature are the most popular genre.


Hong Kong people mainly read to pass time and leisure


The main motivation for reading tends to be leisure (passing time: 44.9%, leisure and entertainment: 38.1%), followed by gaining knowledge (28.8%). Reading options that relate to developing personal capability and temperament stand at 13.2%, while reading to cultivating personal character comes in at 12.3%.


In general, respondents do tend to read more often for leisure and entertainment, to gain knowledge and to elevate personal qualities, while reading for the purposes of job promotion and social mobility are regarded as secondary.


Hong Kong people think reading can enhance one's confidence and personal qualities


Respondents tend to agree that reading can boost their confidence (57.6%), followed by develop their temperament (56.9%), facilitate career development (56.5%), solve problems in life (50.6%) and improve social skills (50.4%). Meanwhile, not a lot of them would associate reading with pragmatic objectives, including reading can help with the relationships (22.9%), changing one's destiny (26.6%) and moving up to another social level (33.0%), meaning respondents focus more on their personal qualities.


Reading e-books is not a mainstream activity yet


Reading printed books is still the preferred choice among all respondents who read, with comparative figures for printed and electronic books read by respondents standing at 87.2% and 12.8% respectively. Despite this, younger readers aged 15 to 34 seem to be more interested in electronic books as 33.3% of them had read or download free through computers, mobile phones or tablets.


Busy lifestyle is the primary reason for not reading


Those respondents who didn't read at all cited too busy at work/study (28.2%) or too busy in daily life (25.0%) as their primary reasons. Meanwhile, 24.5% of respondents admit that they have no interest in reading. However, when they were being asked what kind of activities they would engage in if they have extra leisure time, they would prefer watching TV/ movie and engaging in other activities, reading was ranked only seventh among nine options.


About half of the people agree that commercial sector can encourage reading culture


Among all respondents, approximately half (48.2%) agree or highly agree with the statement – The commercial sector can help promote Hong Kong's reading atmosphere.


About the SHKP Book Club


SHKP set up the Book Club in 2005 to get people into the habit of reading to broaden their knowledge and horizons and encourage self-improvement and life-long learning. The Club organizes reading-related activities such as book review competitions, “Young Writers’ Debut Competition”, the Books4You magazine, taking children to the book fair, good books polls and public seminars. Visit www.shkpbookclub.com for details.


About Powersoft Consultancy Limited


Powersoft Consultancy, an affiliate of the Roundtable Institute and Its Network, aims at publicizing social sciences research to the public. And strive to treat all of the business contacts with fairness and integrity, whilst always protecting our clients' interests and the independence as a consulting agency. Drawing from the extensive social capital of Powersoft, the team is composed of young talents from different academic backgrounds to provide insight to clients. The Powersoft Way® research method was patented at the Intellectual Property Department of the HKSAR Government.


SHKP Reading Index Executive Summary
The First SHKP Reading Index reveals: Nearly 60% of Hong Kong residents have reading habits

08 Jul 2012

Prior to the opening of this year's Hong Kong Book Fair, Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) commissioned Powersoft Consultancy, an affiliate of the Roundtable Institute and Its Network, to conduct the first 2012 SHKP Reading Index survey to systematically measure the Hong Kong public's reading habits and assess the overall reading culture of local society. The study covered both printed and electronic books.


A press conference was held today (July 8) to announce the findings. Present were SHKP Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer Patrick K W Chan, Powersoft Executive Director Gary Wong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Department of Government & Public Administration Ivan Choy Chi-keung and Joint Publishing Co. Ltd. Deputy General Manager Janice Yip. Mr Choy gave his view of the survey findings from the perspective of a scholar and writer, while Ms Yip compared it against the landscape of the latest book-purchasing trends among Hong Kong people.


The survey revealed that "My Reading Index" stands at 4.81 (with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest), indicating that the respondents' interest in reading is medium. The "Index of Hong Kong Reading Culture" was 4.77 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) which mirrors the medium general reading atmosphere.


"Books can be regarded as a kind of passport to the world or a map to lead us to a better life," says Mr Chan on behalf of the organizer of this research project. "From this report, about half of the respondents agreed that the business sector can help promote better reading habits in Hong Kong. This reinforces SHKP's long-term commitment to the promotion of reading through an array of activities staged by the SHKP Book Club."


"We at SHKP will continue to make efficient use of our resources and network to encourage Hong Kong people to embrace books for exploring knowledge and self-enrichment," adds Mr Chan. "We will make the SHKP Reading Index an annual study to reflect the latest developments and track any changes in the public's reading habits and culture."


Mr Chan also says that subsequent to the "A Letter to My Family" Book Review Competition launched earlier by the SHKP Book Club, a series of activities will be held during the Hong Kong Book Fair as part of its efforts to promote reading, including the sponsorship of a programme for the fifth consecutive year that lets underprivileged children participate in this annual event. SHKP will also continue working with Joint Publishing to organize the bi-annual Young Writers' Debut Competition to encourage youngsters to realize their dreams of becoming published authors.


The first SHKP Reading Index survey was carried out from 1st to 20th June via telephone interviews. A total of 800 Hong Kong residents aged 15 and above, selected by random sampling, were interviewed.


A "fair" reading culture in Hong Kong


The survey revealed that "My Reading Index" stands at 4.81 (with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest). This indicates that the respondents' interest in reading is medium. The "Index of Hong Kong Reading Culture" was 4.77 (1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest) which mirrors the medium general reading atmosphere.


More than half of Hong Kong residents have reading habits


This study shows that 58.2% of all respondents said they had reading habits while those who didn't read at all totaled 41.8%. The survey also shows that the younger the respondent, the higher the tendency to read.


Breaking down readers by occupation, managers/executives/professionals have a higher tendency to read (86.1%). Those who work 35 to 44 hours a week are more likely to read (87.6%) compared to working class people who put in 64 hours or more. Among this cohort none said that they had read any books in the last six months.


Hong Kong people read less than two books in six months and read less than two hours in a week


The report reveals that the average numbers of books being read by the general public of Hong Kong and the respondents with reading habits are 1.9 and 4 respectively.


The average time spent on reading books is 1.8 hours per week among the general public of Hong Kong and 3.9 hours among those who said they had read books over the last six months.


Novels and literature are the most popular reading choices


Those who do read tend to choose novels/literature books most often (46.8%), followed by lifestyle books (24.6%), psychology/health/medicine titles (17.0%) and geography or travel books (15.7%), revealing that novels and literature are the most popular genre.


Hong Kong people mainly read to pass time and leisure


The main motivation for reading tends to be leisure (passing time: 44.9%, leisure and entertainment: 38.1%), followed by gaining knowledge (28.8%). Reading options that relate to developing personal capability and temperament stand at 13.2%, while reading to cultivating personal character comes in at 12.3%.


In general, respondents do tend to read more often for leisure and entertainment, to gain knowledge and to elevate personal qualities, while reading for the purposes of job promotion and social mobility are regarded as secondary.


Hong Kong people think reading can enhance one's confidence and personal qualities


Respondents tend to agree that reading can boost their confidence (57.6%), followed by develop their temperament (56.9%), facilitate career development (56.5%), solve problems in life (50.6%) and improve social skills (50.4%). Meanwhile, not a lot of them would associate reading with pragmatic objectives, including reading can help with the relationships (22.9%), changing one's destiny (26.6%) and moving up to another social level (33.0%), meaning respondents focus more on their personal qualities.


Reading e-books is not a mainstream activity yet


Reading printed books is still the preferred choice among all respondents who read, with comparative figures for printed and electronic books read by respondents standing at 87.2% and 12.8% respectively. Despite this, younger readers aged 15 to 34 seem to be more interested in electronic books as 33.3% of them had read or download free through computers, mobile phones or tablets.


Busy lifestyle is the primary reason for not reading


Those respondents who didn't read at all cited too busy at work/study (28.2%) or too busy in daily life (25.0%) as their primary reasons. Meanwhile, 24.5% of respondents admit that they have no interest in reading. However, when they were being asked what kind of activities they would engage in if they have extra leisure time, they would prefer watching TV/ movie and engaging in other activities, reading was ranked only seventh among nine options.


About half of the people agree that commercial sector can encourage reading culture


Among all respondents, approximately half (48.2%) agree or highly agree with the statement – The commercial sector can help promote Hong Kong's reading atmosphere.


About the SHKP Book Club


SHKP set up the Book Club in 2005 to get people into the habit of reading to broaden their knowledge and horizons and encourage self-improvement and life-long learning. The Club organizes reading-related activities such as book review competitions, “Young Writers’ Debut Competition”, the Books4You magazine, taking children to the book fair, good books polls and public seminars. Visit www.shkpbookclub.com for details.


About Powersoft Consultancy Limited


Powersoft Consultancy, an affiliate of the Roundtable Institute and Its Network, aims at publicizing social sciences research to the public. And strive to treat all of the business contacts with fairness and integrity, whilst always protecting our clients' interests and the independence as a consulting agency. Drawing from the extensive social capital of Powersoft, the team is composed of young talents from different academic backgrounds to provide insight to clients. The Powersoft Way® research method was patented at the Intellectual Property Department of the HKSAR Government.


SHKP Reading Index Executive Summary