A new research report was conducted to ascertain the reading habits among children in Russia and has shown that more than half of the kids there have taken to reading ebooks. Conducted by Digital Parenting Russia and Tvidi.Ru, the survey that covered children in the 6 to 16 age group revealed that the majority (75 percent) of the students rely on ebooks for their homework.
As for their choice of device, the majority (more than 50 percent) stated it’s dedicated ebook reading devices that have emerged as the preferred mode of reading ebooks for the 13-15 age group. This can be explained by the wide availability of ereaders in the country that typically starts well below $100, making them well within the reach of most families. That said, the survey revealed reading off a desktop, tablet, or smartphone was equally popular, though on a lesser scale.
A high penetration of internet facilities in Russia (90 percent) coupled with rampant piracy has ensured there is enough demand for ebooks in the country. This also explains the general tendency among the students to try and source their ebooks for free as the survey also revealed that about 1 in every 5 buy their ebooks. Interestingly, 3 percent of the respondents have stated they wish to pay for their ebooks, though don’t know how to go about doing it.
However, the survey also revealed that kids often are in competition with other members of the family for their turn to use the ereaders. A sizable 37 percent in the 7-15 age group stated their studies often get hampered as the ereader is in use by either parents or siblings. The above trend is even worse for those in the elementary grades, with over 50 percent claiming they have to contend with their parents or siblings using the device.
A total of 1,477 children took part in the online survey conducted in June 2013. You can find additional info on the study by clicking here for a more detailed info.
Sovan Mandal is the senior tablet and tech corespondent for goodereader.com. He brings a international approach to news that is not just applicable to the North American market, but also Asia, India, Europe and others. Sovy brings his own writing flavor to the website and is interested in Science Fiction, Technology and Writing. Any questions, send an email