Toronto, ON – May 30, 2023 – New research on how Canadians spend their free time
A survey of leisure time and reading habits from industry non-profit BookNet Canada has found that 81% of Canadians felt they had enough or more than enough free time in 2022. Canadians spent their free time shopping (99%), watching TV, videos, or movies (97%), cooking (96%), listening to music (96%), and spending time with family (96%).
The survey, which is regularly conducted each winter, asked 1,290 Canadians if they had read or listened to a book in the past year and, as in the previous 8 years, roughly 8 in 10 Canadians said they had. When it comes to how often they’re reading, 40% read daily, 24% weekly, 15% once a month. When it came to what they were reading, almost all readers (94%) had read at least one print book in 2021. Both ebook and audiobook reading had increased over 2021 numbers. Over two thirds of readers had read an ebook in 2022 (67%), up from 64% in 2021. In 2022, 51% of readers had listened to an audiobook compared with 45% of readers who had done so in 2021.
Readership of comics and graphics novels surged in 2022 as compared with 2021. This was true for both Fiction and Non-Fiction books. Fictional comics and graphic novels saw higher readership in both print (15% in 2022 vs. 3% in 2021) and ebook formats (16% in 2022 vs. 2% in 2021). Non-Fiction comics and graphic novels also saw an increase for print (12% in 2022 vs. 7% in 2021) and ebook readership (10% in 2022 vs. 6% in 2021).
Other highlights of note found in the study:
Readers are using smartphones more than ever to read ebooks — 23% did so in 2019 and it has steadily increased to 34% in 2022.
Across all formats, readers are buying less and borrowing more in 2022 compared with 2020. This trend is most pronounced for print books. In 2022, 52% of readers paid for their print books, compared to 61% in 2020.
For the first year, inspired by the popularity of BookTok, we asked readers whether they had viewed a book-specific social media post, for example on BookTok, BookTube, Bookstagram, or similar. More readers had seen or searched out this type of content daily in 2022 than had visited a book-specific social networks (e.g., Shelfari, Goodreads, 49th Shelf, Wattpad, etc.) — 12% for viewing a book-specific social media post vs. 10% for visiting a book-specific social network.
The full study includes data on how readers and non-readers spend their free time, how readers discover and acquire their books, readers' format preferences, popular Fiction and Non-Fiction genres, the value of books across formats, and more. Find it all in the free Canadian Leisure & Reading Study 2022 here: booknetcanada.ca/canadian-leisure-and-reading-study-2022.
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BookNet Canada is a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry. Founded in 2002 to address systemic challenges in the industry, BookNet Canada supports publishing companies, booksellers, wholesalers, distributors, sales agents, and libraries across the country.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for this project. / Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada par l’entremise du Fonds du livre du Canada (FLC) pour ce projet.
Media Contact:
Ainsley Sparkes
Marketing & Communications Manager
BookNet Canada
asparkes@booknetcanada.ca
(416) 362-5057 x 2310
