Chinese read less on paper but more online

BEIJING - Chinese people read four books, 100 newspapers and 6.67 magazines on average last year, according to a survey released Monday.

Only 1.2 percent of those surveyed thought they were well-read, while 50.7 percent admitted they read not enough, according to the survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication.

The comprehensive reading rate for people aged 18 to 70 reached 77.6 percent, a slight rise of 0.5 percent. This includes books, magazines and digital publications.

Overall, however, the survey shows a decline in the number of Chinese people who read both newspapers and magazines.

Those reading online increased by 11.1 percent on figures from 2010, with an average of 47.53 minutes being spent reading on the internet.

Moreover, 27.6 percent of those surveyed preferred reading on their mobile phones, 4.6 percentage higher than last year. They spent an average of 13.53 minutes reading on phones daily, and 20.75 yuan ($3.3) for the service.

The survey showed that people choose to read digital publications primarily because they are easy to acquire. Other reasons include lack of restrictions on time and location, convenience and cheap prices.