Survey in and around Kolkata shows most students in 17-24 age group read books only occasionally

While the book fair is on in Kolkata, most likely to record more than 25 lakh visitors as usual, a recent survey conducted in and around Kolkata showed most students reading books only occasionally and spending more than two hours on social media.

According to the survey, conducted by the Kolkata-based Sabar Institute and the Sarojini Naidu College for Women, 35% of students in the age group 17-24 years read only occasionally while 25% sat with a book daily. In the age group 10-17 years, however, close to 40% were reading daily and 30% only occasionally. In the 25-34 age group, as many as 40.6% read only occasionally and only 18% daily.

The study was conducted on 4,311 samples across urban and rural areas encompassing Kolkata and North 24 Parganas to understand reading habits in the age of reels. Most respondents, 50%, were in the 18-24 years age group, 14% in the 10-17 bracket, and 31% were 25-34.

According to the Sabar Institute, in the post-COVID-19, social-media-driven world, attention spans were shrinking, especially among students, and the idea behind the survey was to explore this shift and to understand the impact of social media on reading and, above, all, to bring reading back to the centre of people’s lives.

As per the findings, in the 18-24 age group, more females — over 40% — spent over two hours daily on social media compared to males, 36%. In the age group 10-17 years, however, more boys — 33% — were found spending more that two hours on social media compared to girls, 31%.

The survey also found more students than non-students spending more time on social media. While over 35% of the students surveyed spent over two hours daily on the phone and nearly 32% between one and two hours, the same figures for non-student respondents were 30% and 29%.

“Screen time has risen sharply in recent years, especially among young adults. COVID-related school closures pushed education online and dealt a serious blow to reading habits. Our study shows that heavy social media use (over two hours a day) and lack of easy access to books remain major barriers to reading,” said Sabir Ahamed of Sabar Institute.

“The problem is not the absence of libraries in the city, but the absence of guided and welcoming reading spaces. What young people need are curated spaces where they are introduced to books, encouraged to read deeply, and supported to build immersive reading habits,” said Mr. Ahamed, whose initiative Know Your Neighbour, which aims for communal harmony, recently started the Chair for the Reader programme to discuss books, promote reading together in silence, and learning how to manage digital distractions.

According to the survey, while students loved to read fiction, literature and poetry the most, non-students preferred sports, entertainment and fiction. Most males read sports, entertainment and fiction while females showed greater interest in academics and literature.