Canadian readers increasingly borrowing from libraries instead of buying: BookNet Canada study 2022

Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2022. BookNet Canada., May 30, 2023.

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According to a report by BookNet Canada, which analyzes book sales and reading trends in the country, there is a change in the behavior of Canadian readers, who are increasingly choosing to borrow books in libraries instead of buying them. in bookstores. In addition, the report highlights an increase in the popularity of comics and graphic novels among Canadian readers during the year 2022.

A survey of free time and reading habits by BookNet Canada, an industry non-profit organization, revealed that 81% of Canadians felt they had enough or more than enough free time by 2022. Canadians spent their free time to go shopping (99%), watch TV, videos or movies (97%), cook (96%), listen to music (96%) and spend time with family (96%).

In the survey, which is conducted regularly each winter, 1,290 Canadians were asked if they had read or listened to a book in the past year and, as in the previous eight years, about 8 in 10 Canadians said yes. Regarding the frequency with which they read, 40% do so daily, 24% weekly and 15% once a month. In terms of what they read, almost all readers (94%) have read at least one print book in 2021. Both ebook and audiobook reading had increased from 2021 figures. More than two-thirds of Readers had read an e-book in 2022 (67%), up from 64% in 2021. In 2022, 51% of readers had listened to an audiobook, up from 45% of readers in 2021.

Overall, readers are buying fewer books and choosing to borrow more copies in 2022 compared to 2020, and this trend is most noticeable for print books. In 2022, 52% of readers bought print books, compared to 61% in 2020. This decline in print book purchases can be attributed to several factors. One of them may be the change in the preferences of readers, who are choosing to borrow books instead of buying them.

Comic book and graphic novel readership increased in 2022 compared to 2021. This is true for both fiction and nonfiction books. Fictional comics and graphic novels saw higher readership in both print (15% in 2022 vs. 3% in 2021) and electronic (16% in 2022 vs. 2% in 2021) formats. Nonfiction comics and graphic novels also saw an increase in readership in print (12% in 2022 vs. 7% in 2021) and electronic (10% in 2022 vs. 6% in 2021).

Other study highlights:

• Readers are using smartphones to read ebooks more than ever: 23% did so in 2019 and has steadily increased to 34% in 2022.
• A decrease in book purchases by readers in favor of borrowing books in libraries is observed. In 2022, 52% of readers chose to pay for their print books, up from 61% in 2020. This trend is most pronounced for print books. In 2022, 52% of readers paid for their print books, up from 61% in 2020.
• During the first year, inspired by the popularity of BookTok, we asked readers if they had seen a specific post about a book on social media, for example on BookTok, BookTube, Bookstagram or similar. By 2022, more readers had viewed or searched for this type of content on a daily basis than had visited a book-specific social network (e.g. Shelfari, Goodreads, 49th Shelf, Wattpad, etc.): 12% to view a book. posting on a specific social network for a book vs. 10% to visit a specific social network for a book.