A reading crisis

Have you ever wondered why some people love reading and others don’t? There is no gene for reading, so it is all about our upbringing and environment.

The latest EU statistics show that 56% of Maltese do not read a single book throughout the year. Men appear particularly reluctant to read, with 65% of Maltese men saying they did not read any books in a single year.

Admittedly, the declining reading culture is not just a local phenomenon.

Malta, like other neighbouring countries, today finds itself at a critical juncture in the history of literacy. This shift in reading habits, although subtle, has profound implications. The act of reading, often relegated to the background of our fast-paced lives, holds immense value. It is a key driver of personal enlightenment and professional advancement, nurturing our minds in ways that fleeting digital content seldom can.

Reading offers a multitude of benefits that extend far beyond the mere acquisition of knowledge. Its impact on our cognitive, emotional, educational and professional wellbeing is profound and multifaceted.

When my two sons were little, they loved books. They loved stories from the time they could focus their little eyes on my face. I, or my wife, read to them every night, and it was their favourite thing in the world. As they grew older, their greatest desire was to be able to read independently, as they considered books to be the most wonderful things in the world.

Our secret was that we read good books. Books with an interesting narrative, with conflict and resolution, engaged their imagination and made them want to live in the world of the story. They loved those books so much that when I finished reading them to them, they’d hug the book to their chests as though trying to merge it into their hearts forever.

In an overpopulated society like ours, children who have any hope of getting into or remaining in the middle class are under great social and economic pressure to excel at academics, and, of all Maltese, they are perhaps the least likely to change their reading habits of their own volition.

It turns out that women read more than men, but time spent reading has declined steadily for both genders. A compositional effect may explain the decline in reading in Malta. Maybe, for example, as more women have entered the workforce, their full-time employment has left them with less leisure to read.

Perhaps whatever is eating away at reading is also eating away at socialising. More and more people are taking part in game playing and computer use for leisure, including games.

The surge in screen time is a predominant factor in the decline of traditional reading habits. In an age where smartphones are ubiquitous, streaming services offer endless entertainment and social media platforms provide instant gratification, the appeal of settling down with a book has significantly diminished. These digital mediums compete for our attention and reshape our expectations of entertainment.

Impatience is another reason why people read less. We don’t have the patience to spend hours and hours reading a story and understanding its deep meaning. Rather, we watch a 30-second clip on social media that gives us a shallow and often erroneous understanding. Yet, we feel we have learnt enough.

It’s possible, too, that the latest statistics may reflect a shift in the way that people read. Shouldn’t reading an e-book and listening to an audiobook both count as reading?

I used to read a lot of books, but I’m not reading as much as before, especially during the summer holidays when I was still a student. Over the last couple of years, like many people, I've found myself choosing short texts unconsciously. The instant access to a vast array of visual and auditory content has overshadowed the slower-paced, introspective experience of reading a book. Despite that feeling, I try to force myself to avoid that action.

As screens become the default portal for information and leisure, the immersive and reflective pleasure of reading is often overlooked, leading to a noticeable dip in the number of dedicated readers.

The good news is that these days, most people realise that they don’t read as much as before. The main reason could be the decrease in focus time. I don’t want to grumble about social media, but it’s a fact that it decreases our focus time.

Finding the right environment, therefore, is important. If you’re alone in a quiet spot with nothing to do, reading an engaging book could increase your focus. There might be pressure on us when we question our reading habits. The problem could be the category of the book. I try to avoid pushing myself to read a book that does not interest me. Some books can be a page-turner for me, but on the contrary, some books can make me feel like I’m stupid.

We can track our habits and how they make us feel while reading a specific book.

If you’ve read thus far, I think your focus time is not bad. I hope we can find treasure troves of fascinating books to read more!

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.

The fact remains, however, that those same statistics paint a fairly grim picture of our country’s reading habits. The nation, after all, risks one day being led by leaders and rulers who don’t read at all.