1. More Queenslanders are reading
Eight in 10 Queenslanders (88 per cent) read literature including novels, creative non-fiction, short stories and poetry in 2013, an increase from 82 per cent in 2009. ¹

2. Queenslanders of all ages like to read
Data shows that reading is high among all age groups. Reading rates are highest in Queenslanders aged 65 years and over  (92 per cent) and Queenslanders aged 15-24 years (91 per cent) (See Table 1). ¹

Table 1: Overall reading consumption by age

^{Source: Arts in Daily Life: Queenslanders and the arts. Raw data}

ABS’s Children’s participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities shows that 67 per cent of children aged 5-14 years read for pleasure outside school hours in 2012.²

3. Queenslanders read a variety of things
Seven in 10 Queenslanders indicated that they had read a novel in 2013 (73 per cent). Fifty-five per cent had read creative non-fiction such as a biography, memoir or history, 48 per cent had read a short story and 24 per cent had read poetry. Eighteen per cent of Queenslanders had read a graphic novel or comic book and six per cent had read a play. (See Table 2) ¹

Table 2 : Literature (Queensland, 2009 and 2013)

^{Source: Arts in Daily Life: Queenslanders and the Arts raw data}

4. Almost 1 in 2 Queenslanders read a novel for pleasure every day or at least every week
Forty-two per cent of Queenslanders indicated they read a novel for pleasure everyday, 11 per cent indicated at least twice a week and nine per cent at least once a week in 2013. ¹

5. Almost 1 in 3 Queenslanders have accessed an e-book
In 2013, 32 per cent of Queenslanders accessed an e-book and 12 per cent downloaded an audio book. ¹

6. Majority of Queensland parents read to their children every week³
Childhood education and care data released from the ABS  shows 75.8 per cent of parents of children aged 0-2 years read a book or told a story in the week prior to the survey. Nearly six in 10 read from a book or told a story every day (58.2%).

Nine in 10 parents of children aged 3-8 years told stories, read or listened to a child read (95.2%). Over 40 per cent read from a book or told a story every day (45.5%)

Sources

1. Arts in Daily Life: Queenslanders and the arts. Raw data
2. Children’s participation in cultural and leisure activities, April 2012 (cat no. 4901.0)
3. Childhood education and care, Australia, June 2014 (cat no. 4402.0)

If you like this post, you might also like:
What do the arts do?
Queenslanders are actively participating in the arts
Communication - what to look at?