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Attitudes of Abu Dhabi Emirate population to reading
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Al-Ali, Aisha Ali Turki
Abstract
The study aims to provide an understanding of behaviours of reading in the UAE. It will measure the levels of reading activity for purposes other than study and analyse differences by demographic characteristics. It will also identify reasons why people in UAE do not read. The importance of this study comes from the importance of reading and its impact on people. In addition to that, reading is one of the important issues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and of great concern.
This study used both quantitative and qualitative methodology; Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) collected the survey data twice, in the first quarter and second quarters of 2016.
The results of the survey show that reading means culture for more than half of respondents (53.6%), while 34.5% believe that reading means knowledge and 30.0% consider it science.
Of those who did not read regularly (58.3%), 36.9% of respondents said that the reason for not reading was that they did not have enough time, 21.2% because of work pressure, and 12.3% did not show any reason for not reading. The percentage of females who said that the reason for not reading was the lack of time, 40.6%, was greater than the 33.1% for males, while the percentage was similar for citizens (37.8%) and non-citizens (36.1%).
Of those who read, more than two thirds of the respondents (67.3%) prefer the Internet as a source of reading, followed by printed books as a second source (34.6%) and newspapers (33.2%). Inter-regional views are somewhat similar.
About reading topics, the study showed that cultural books are the most popular books for readers with 41.3%, followed by Islamic books 37.2%, and stories and novels 36.0%. Fiction and excitement books were the least favored by readers.
This study used both quantitative and qualitative methodology; Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) collected the survey data twice, in the first quarter and second quarters of 2016.
The results of the survey show that reading means culture for more than half of respondents (53.6%), while 34.5% believe that reading means knowledge and 30.0% consider it science.
Of those who did not read regularly (58.3%), 36.9% of respondents said that the reason for not reading was that they did not have enough time, 21.2% because of work pressure, and 12.3% did not show any reason for not reading. The percentage of females who said that the reason for not reading was the lack of time, 40.6%, was greater than the 33.1% for males, while the percentage was similar for citizens (37.8%) and non-citizens (36.1%).
Of those who read, more than two thirds of the respondents (67.3%) prefer the Internet as a source of reading, followed by printed books as a second source (34.6%) and newspapers (33.2%). Inter-regional views are somewhat similar.
About reading topics, the study showed that cultural books are the most popular books for readers with 41.3%, followed by Islamic books 37.2%, and stories and novels 36.0%. Fiction and excitement books were the least favored by readers.
