"Reading is a matter of country, state, and making reading a habit is, should be, a fundamental objective of this ministry in dialogue with territories, political and social forces, the book sector and citizenship," has affirmed the minister.
The number of book readers in Spain continues to grow. 68.5% of Spaniards over 14 read books. This represents 1.3% more than in 2018. "It is not, therefore, a spectacular increase, but it is a constant and hopeful increase: more books are read, more books are bought, they are mainly bought on paper and through the Traditional bookstores, public library assistance has increased and its valuation grows in all autonomous communities. And even then, there are about 30% of the population that does not read and those who are obliged to arrive, "he said Rodríguez Uribes.
As for the support in which citizens read, the minister has affirmed that "the goal is to read books and not the support on which they are translated. The reading support has changed over the centuries: stone , wood, clay, papyrus, parchment, paper, and finally digital books. We have to be able to expand the concept of the book and reconcile the existence of both formats. "
Reading hobby
José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes has placed special emphasis on the need to create a fondness for reading at an early age. "It is essential to maintain the reading habit, because 70.4% of current book readers began their love of reading before the age of 15, which shows the importance of strengthening the actions aimed at promoting this habit in the school stage, hence our efforts to promote reading in an intersectoral manner and, especially, with the Ministry of Education. "