This photo provided by Seoul City Hall shows the interior of Seoul Book Repository.
SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — In the midst of the deepening of economic and academic gaps resulting from the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gap in reading competency is also widening, a local research institute said Monday.
According to a survey conducted by the Books & Society Research Institute of 3,000 respondents over 10 years of age across South Korea, the share of respondents who said they have the emotional experience of being moved by reading among those with a low level of reading preference stood at 32.1 percent, far lower than the 83.6 percent reported for those with a high level of reading preference.
Among those who don’t like books, the share of respondents who said they have favorite books stood at 18.3 percent, much lower than 70.1 percent for those with a high level of reading preference.
In terms of the awareness about the usefulness of reading (on the basis of a 100 point scale), those with a low level of reading preference marked 30 points, significantly lower than the 60 points reported for those with a high level of reading preference.
In the category of confidence in reading, writing and speaking, the gap between the two groups stood at 35.6 points, 19.8 points and 13.2 points, respectively.
The institute noted that in most categories, the phenomenon of ‘reading polarization’ was confirmed, in which the rate of change is affected by the degree of economic affordability and reading preference.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
