“Reading is the sovereign remedy against the dislikes of life,
” Montesquieu once said.
A quote that takes on more meaning than ever since the successive confinements due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
And even more among young people, as revealed on Thursday by an Odoxa poll for the National Publishing Union.
Carried out on December 10 and 11, via the internet, it brings together a sample of 990 people representative of the French population, aged 18 and over.
Read also: Reading, a real antidote to confinement
If overall, "
33% of French people have read more books than normal during confinement (s)
", specifies Odoxa, this renewed interest is mainly effective among adolescents aged 18 to 24.
A real "
antidote
" for them, insisted Vincent Montagne, president of the organization, in a press release.
Tired by excessive use of screens, nearly 42% of them found an escape bubble thanks to reading during the first confinement, last March.
Against 24% in the second, counting the months of October to December 2020.
"Fight against boredom
"
Among the main reasons mentioned,
“occupying one's days, fighting boredom
” at 43%, “
disconnecting from the news
” at 33% and “
avoiding staying too long on social networks
” (31%).
Concerned about the world around them, most of these aspiring adults (85%) said they were in favor of opening neighborhood bookstores in the event of a third forced rest.
Read also: In bookstores, the Covid-19 avalanche
On the other hand, the study highlights some gaps in their knowledge related to the book economy.
A large part of those polled admitted that they had never heard of a law imposing a single price on each book, a measure intended to protect the publishing industry.
Thus, nearly 53% believe that this price "
may vary by region, time of year, economic conditions and retailers
", while 45% replied that it was "
the same everywhere
".
8.4 pounds on average per year
For the rest, the French said they read an average of 8.4 books per year, although half read between zero and three.
The novel, very popular in France, largely dominates.
From the detective with 45%, contemporary fictional works at 32%, through fantasy or adventure novels with 28% of readers.
Behind them finally come the books of practices and hobbies (26%).
Another genre has awakened the French taste for reading in recent months: the dystopian novel.
Hervé Le Tellier's
anomaly
, published on August 20 by Gallimard, has exceeded all sales expectations.
With 820,000 copies printed, it is the second most purchased book in 2020. For the author, this success is due to the theme which gives a "
reading of the world a little strange, a derealization
", unfortunately in perfect resonance with everyday life.
