Muhammad Muafi Abdillah

201510230311160
Psychology C

Bold : Fact
Underlined : Opinion
Indians Worlds Biggest Readers
Indians are the worlds biggest bookworms, reading on average
10.7 hours a week, twice as long as Americans, according to a
new survey. The NOP World Culture Score index surveyed 30,000
people in 30 countries from December 2004 to February 2005.
Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain Indias high
figures.
Britons and Americans scored 50% lower than the Indians
hours and Japanese and Koreans were even lower at 4.1 and 3.1
hours respectively. R. Sriram, chief executive officer of Crosswords
Bookstores, a chain of 26 book shops around India, says Indians are
extremely entrepreneurial and reading is a fundamental part of their
being. The NOP survey of 30,000 consumers aged over 13 saw
China and the Philippines take second and third place
respectively in average hours a week spent reading books,
newspapers and magazines.
Time spent on reading meant fewer hours watching TV and
listening to the radio India came fourth last in both. Mr Sriram says
social changes have also made a difference: Earlier people could turn to
their parents and grandparents for advice. Now they turn to books. Indian
writer and editor, Tarun Tejpal, said the survey only made sense if it
excluded the high numbers of illiterate Indians.
The National Readership Survey shows more than one-third
of rural Indians and about 15% of the urban population are still
illiterate. A lot of book reading is aspirational, getting ahead in the rat
race, getting admission into schools and colleges, etc. It has less to do
with reading, more to do with rote, Mr Tejpal said. Leading columnist,
Venkateshwar Rao, told Britains Sunday Times newspaper he could not
see Indians flocking to book stores. Reading books just isnt a habit with
them because theyre not into cultural pursuits. Its not a part of their

Muhammad Muafi Abdillah

201510230311160
Psychology C

make-up. All they want to do is consume. Mr Tejpal said: A good

book in India will sell only a few thousand copies; in the UK or US
it could sell tens of thousands.
Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/