BANGKOK, Nov 12 -- Thai people read an average of 94 minutes daily, but mainly among the young and government workers, according to academic research by Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Education and state-operated Thailand Knowledge Park (TK Park).
According to the survey, young people and government officials were those spending their time on reading the most, whereas adults aged over 49 were found spending their time on doing so the least. Persons under 20 years old were found reading less with an average of reading habits on three to four days weekly.
The research on the reading situation and reading index in 2009 released Friday was conducted in 13 provinces.
Among those surveyed, 5,865 people filled in questionnaires, 156 attended small discussion sessions, and another 191 of them were studied through their extreme reading habits -- both for reading as their passion and the opposite, said Wannee Keamkate, lecturer and head of the research project.
According to the research, people living in urban areas had their reading index higher than those in suburban zones, and the reason why young people are not passionate about reading was due to their laziness.
Regarding their spending on books, Thai readers paid some Bt523 (US$18) for printed materials per month. The range of spending habits varied from spending nothing books at all until about Bt9,000 (US$310) monthly.
Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Sompong Jitradub of the Education Faculty said the fact that Thais read on average 94 minutes a day was useful information, as it could argue with previous statistics that Thais read only about eight lines a year. Such finding will as well act as a policy stimulation on reading, he added.
The Cabinet in August 2009 declared reading a national agenda by making April 2 Thailand's 'Reading Day'. This date also marks the birthday of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, known for being a passionate reader.
Moreover, 2009-2018 was announced as the 'Decade of Reading' in the country in order to promote and enhance reading habits among Thais. (MCOT online news)
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