Behavioural research into Australian readers underway

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New research by Australia Reads and BehaviourWorks Australia looks to understand the motivations and barriers around reading for pleasure – and how we can get more Australians reading.

Reading for pleasure has immense benefits for our society. People who read regularly report higher self-esteem, are less lonely, and are 58% more likely to empathise with others.[1] Physiologically, reading slows the heart rate, reduces stress[2] and can even extend our lives.[3] High reading rates are globally acknowledged as a sign of a healthy, democratic society. With the rise of misinformation, building a culture of reading is more important than ever.

While there is a sizable population in Australia who reap the benefits of regular reading for pleasure, research confirms that recreational reading rates are in decline.[4] As of 2022, there were more than 12 million infrequent and non-readers in Australia aged 15 and over,[5] with more than a quarter of Australians having not read or listened to a single book in the space of a year.[6]

We want to understand, and ultimately change, this story.

From the motivation to read, to selecting a book, finding a time to read, and finally reading itself, there is a complex sequence of individual behaviours that constitute reading for pleasure. 

A new research collaboration between Australia Reads and BehaviourWorks Australia seeks to gain a deeper understanding of these behaviours, and where and how we might effectively encourage more Australians to read more books, more often.

BehaviourWorks is the largest applied behaviour change research unit in Australia and works within the Monash Sustainable Development Institute at Monash University.

Working together, we hope to gain a better understanding of the different audience segments that make up the Australian reading (and non-reading) population, and the different behaviours across these groups. Using these insights, the book sector will be in a better position to make choices about how to reach these readers through targeted campaigns and programs. From librarians and teachers to booksellers, publishers and authors, we’ll have a stronger sense of how to better engage the Australians we currently don’t reach.

Australia Reads and BehaviourWorks Australia will be presenting an initial overview of the project as part of the Australian Publishers Association’s BookUp conference on August 7th, with full findings expected to be released in October.

Watch an in conversation between Breanna Wright from BehaviourWorks and Anna Burkey from Australia Reads about the project from this year’s BookUp conference. 

Stay up-to-date with the research progress, and be among the first to hear more about the findings, through the Australia Reads newsletter.

Citations

[1] Billington, J 2015, Reading between the Lines: the Benefits of Reading for Pleasure, University of Liverpool
[2] Lewis, D 2009, ‘Galaxy Stress Research’, Mindlab International, Sussex University
[3]  Bavishi, A & Slade, M. & Levy, BR 2016, ‘A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity’. Social Science & Medicine, vol. 164
[4] Creative Australia 2023, Creative Value: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey; Australian Bureau of Statistics 2023
[5] Creative Australia 2023, Creating Value: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey.
[6] Australia Council for the Arts 2020, Creating Our Future: Results of the National Arts and Participation Survey; Australia Reads 2021, National Reading Survey