Tokyo, Oct. 28 (Jiji Press)–More than 70 pct of elementary and junior high school students in Japan spend less than an hour a week reading, despite about seven in 10 saying they like reading books, a recent survey has shown. The survey was conducted online by the Hakuhodo Foundation Child Research Institute on Aug. 9, covering children nationwide in the fourth grade of elementary school to the third year of junior high school. Valid responses were gained from 1,200 children and from their parents. The results were released in line with the country’s two-week reading promotion campaign period through Nov. 9. The proportion of child respondents who said they love reading came to 12.8 pct. The total share of booklovers, including those who said they like or somewhat like reading, reached 69.3 pct. The share of respondents who said they do no read books at all came to 17.4 pct, while 55.2 pct said they spend less than an hour per week. Fewer than 30 pct of respondents said they read for an hour or more. The survey showed that junior high school students are less likely than elementary school students to enjoy reading and tend to spend less time reading. Also in the survey, 76.5 pct said watching videos and playing games are more enjoyable than reading books, compared with 63.9 pct who said reading is fun. This suggested that even children who like books spend less time reading because they favor videos and games. Meanwhile, more than 90 pct of children whose parents read for at least an hour a week said they like reading. Among all adult respondents, 49.0 pct to 67.0 pct said they actively encourage their children’s reading by providing books that possibly interest them, frequently reading to them and often taking them to libraries or bookstores. Those figures were higher among parents of children who said they love reading, ranging from 81.7 pct to 88.9 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
