Thais read for almost two hours a day and more than half of people aged over 50 prefer reading e-books as they can enlarge the fonts, according to the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat).
Pubat secretary-general Teeranai Sottipinta said growth in the Thai book market appears to have rapidly improved this year, which aligns with the survey on people's reading behaviour and book purchasing. The research was jointly conducted by Pubat and Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Psychology.
The survey was conducted among 2,550 people of all ages nationwide in January and February. It showed Thai readers of all ages read books for an average of 113 minutes per day.
Books that people aged between 12 and 19 read the most (72%) are textbooks and test preparation books, while people aged 20-29, 30-39 and 40-49 mostly read self-improvement books, accounting for 52%, 57% and 51%, respectively. About half of people of all ages like reading books and 47% like reading e-books, said Mr Teeranai.
When splitting the age groups, 58% of participants aged 50 and over preferred reading e-books rather than printed ones as they can enlarge the fonts as much as they prefer.