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16 July 2020In the days of the lockdown, many on social networks were intent on reading, between one gastronomic exploit and another, inviting them to follow their example. Too bad that the reality has gone in the opposite direction, at least according to the Survey of the Center for Book and Reading with the Italian Publishers Association on reading in the months of the health emergency, with the collaboration of Pepe Research, presented online today.

The study shows a sharp drop in book readers in Italy and a drop in purchase demand, especially by those who read more than 12 books a year before the crisis, in the days of the lockdown. In May 2020, the percentage of Italians, aged 15 to 74), who claimed to have read at least one book in the last 12 months (including eBooks and audiobooks), decreased by 15 percentage points compared to March of the previous year and stands at 58%. The value drops by another 8 percentage points (50%) when only the readings of the last two months are taken into consideration, that is, March and April. Who has not read books in March and April is 50% of the population, while on an annual basis this same percentage is 42%.

"The numbers of the survey confirm the critical issues for the reading and supply chain of the book, which are essential for the country's cultural and economic growth - explains Paola Passarelli, Directorate-General for Libraries and Copyright of the Ministry for Goods and Activities cultural and tourism - The government is aware of this and for this reason has given a significant response by providing direct interventions on demand such as the fund for the purchase of books by public libraries and the culture card for needy families " .

Finally, the data collected in May tell us that the number of readers who have purchased books in the previous 12 months has sharply decreased (they are 35% in 2020, they were 63% in 2019) and that the market risks a serious decline because of the behavior of strong readers. In fact, buyers who call themselves strong readers went from 4.4 million to 3.5 million, with a 20% drop. In May 2020, strong readers purchased 30.2 million copies in the previous 12 months, down 45% compared to the end of 2019 (51.4 million copies).

"The entry into force of the book law, the law 15/2020 - explains the director of Cepell, Angelo Piero Cappello - cannot give the desired results if sprouted on old ground and made different from the pandemic that has occurred. for better or for worse, have brought about an abrupt acceleration of social phenomena, habits and cultural consumption that has been in place for many years. With this changed reality we will have to reckon. And it is in this photograph of change that the meaning of this research lies. and its future developments and, above all, the related projects of new promotion and impetus to the practice of reading and book consumption ".