Arabs Read 35 Hours a Year, Recent Study Reveals
We won’t even get started on how important reading is, because it’s too obvious to mention. A new study revealed that Arabs read 35 hours a year; which means a total of 16 books in 365 days.
The results may seem like they’re not as impressive as you think, but it actually is. It’s a great step towards intellectual development and improvement. The study shows that seven out of these books are school or work readings while the rest are free-time readings.
The study was conducted by the new Arab Reading Index, that is a joint initiative between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched in line with Year of Reading 2016. The results of the index were announced during the opening of the third edition of Arab Knowledge Summit. Apparently, the results turned down claims of previous studies that showed that an Arab individual reads an average of quarter a page per year compared to Western counterparts.
Jamal Bin Huwaireb, managing director of MBRF, added that “there were a lot of gaps in the previous studies that indicated the poor reading habits in the region.” The survey also shows that e-books and electronic methods of reading are more popular than hard copy books.
