Toronto, ON – June 11, 2024 – 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 79% of Canadians felt they had enough or more than enough free time in 2023.
The survey, which has been conducted by BookNet every year since 2013, asked 1,247 Canadians if they had read or listened to a book in the past year and, similar to the previous 9 years, 80% of Canadians had. Just over half of those readers had read between one and five books in 2023 (52%).
The majority of readers prefer to read print books (59%), followed by ebooks (20%), and audiobooks (13%). The dominance of print preference has been dropping since 2019 (from 65% to 59% in 2023), while at the same time, preference for audiobooks has been rising (from 8% in 2019 to 13% in 2023).
For the first time in our survey, readers across all formats were acquiring books from free sources more than from paid sources. In 2023, 47% of print readers bought their books and 51% found a free source for their reading material. Over half of audiobook listeners acquired their books for free in 2023 (58%) and ebook readers were the group most likely to get their books from a free source (62%).
Readers were most likely to read adult fiction: 68% of print book readers and ebook readers and 62% of audiobook listeners read adult fiction in 2023. The most popular fiction genre was Mysteries or Thrillers across all formats. The popularity of children’s and young adult books also continued to rise from 2019 to 2023.
Other highlights of note found in the study:
Canadian readers attended more book clubs and book-related events in 2023, both online and in-person.
Canadian readers’ interest in abridged audiobooks, audiobooks with sound effects and/or music, and environmentally friendly print books is on the rise.
Older demographic groups are more likely to acquire free books of all formats than younger demographics.
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 2023.
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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
