If one in five young people says they don’t read at all, some are very fond of a new expansion method.
Yes, young people always read … but more as before. If the noise of the pages had something to ease the mind, new reading habits have appeared. And adolescents are particularly fond! This progression is still to be tempered, considering the worrying decline in this activity for the benefit of screens in the daily life of 7 to 19 years.
Adolescence is the period conducive to dropping out with one in three young people among 16-19 year olds who do not read at all as part of his leisure, according to a 2024 report of the 2024 National Book Center (CNL). On the other hand, digital reading attracts them more and more if we believe the statistics.
In total, 44% of young people (49% of manga readers) have now already read a digital book (+11 pts vs 2022; +25 pts vs 2016), mainly on smartphone, indicates A CNL study. If the paper format remains the main reading medium for 15-25 year olds (83 %), reading digital books today concerns more than third of young adults and the use of audio books a quarter of them.
“These young people being digital natives (digital children, editor’s note), the digital book is a natural extension of their classic cultural practices. They eat it on their smartphone. But the new way of reading that is a hit even stands out of screens! Experts note indeed a strong progression of the audio book, which is explained by the enthusiasm for podcasts or streaming that young people appreciate trips by public transport, “explains Vincent Monadé, president of the National Book Center, to 20 minutes.
It is more about “listening” than “reading”, but whatever: the audio book market has known such acceleration from the pandemic. Young people under 35 are 42% to have already listened to an audio book (+3 pts vs 2022; +21 pts vs 2016), according to the aforementioned study. This support is indeed a real gain in productivity for its followers: “This allows me to be free and to do something else at the same time”, testifies Marie, 30 years old, with France Info.
But these new reading habits are still struggling to conquer old generations. And for good reason: if almost one in three French has already listened to an audio book, this practice is much more widespread among those under 35 years of age. The gap is the same on the side of reading in digital format which remains confidential beyond 50 years, reports the CNL.