UNESCO marks April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day.
Adult readership in the Philippines declined to 42% in 2023 from 54% in 2012, according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and the National Book Development Board (NBDB).
The National Readership Survey (NRS) found that only 42% of adults (aged 18 and above) have read non-school books in the past year, while 47% of children (aged 8-17) did so.
Social media played a significant role in the decline of the readership of Filipinos, the NBDB concluded.
“There are many distractions for the decline — social media, devices, environment,” according to NBDB Division Chief Officer in Charge Kevin Ansel S. Dy.
“There has been a steady decline in the readership of Filipinos, and we find it very alarming,” he added.
The survey found that adults and children still prefer reading printed materials over digital. Some 74% of adults preferred reading print books, followed by newspapers (21%) and magazines (17%).
Meanwhile, 75% of children preferred reading printed books, followed by printed picture books (27%), and printed comic books (16%).
Source: Business World