To Read or Not To Read: Canadian Version

So here it is, the most recent Canadian statistics on book reading.  According to an Ipsos Reid survey commissioned by CanWest News Service and Global Television, conducted between Dec. 11 and 13, 2007,  31 % of the 1001 respondents of the survey did not read a single book for pleasure in all of 2007, 4% behind the U.S. in an identical poll.

Now, it really hits home…I know, we’ve been through all the discussions about how accurate these polls are, and the causes, and the biases…etc. in my last two posts.  So here, I’d just like to briefly point out a few interesting findings from this one:

• The 69% of Canadians who were reading in 2007 did so voraciously, averaging 20 books in 2007.
• According to industry giant Indigo Books, the Canadian market is remaining steady.  The biggest selling day of the year, Dec. 22, saw an average of 570 customers per minute.
• West Coasters were Canada’s most avid readers in 2007.  B.C. residents devoured an average 33 titles.
• Fiction was the most popular genre among Canadians, at 56% of books read.

My response remains the same as I wrote in my post on New Year’s Eve.  Again, after visiting your blogs, I was much impressed and humbled by some of your personal reading statistics, and glad to know about still others who have indicated reading resolutions and goals for the New Year, again I say…all is not lost.

So to all, enjoy your reading, whatever genre, whatever modes they may be, and have a rewarding 2008!