Reading Habits Of Business Students

Abstract

What are the reading habits of college students? This paper reports the results of a survey of undergraduate business students addressing this question. The objectives were to determine: (1) what business publications students read and how often they read them, (2) what students read for pleasure and how often, (3) how many hours a week students spend in various activities including reading, and (4) what activities interfere most with reading and study. The results indicate that college textbooks are the most frequently read business material with 42 percent reading textbooks daily. Business related material on the internet was read by 17 percent of the students on a daily basis. For pleasure, students read magazines, religious publications, and newspapers the most often. Students tend to read these publications at least once a week. Novels, nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and comic books were read on a weekly basis by less than one half of the students. The results indicate that many students are not reading on a daily basis whether it is business related or for pleasure.

If students are not reading, what are they doing? Students spend time watching television (31 percent watch 12 or more hours per week), talking on the telephone (27 percent talk on the phone 12 or more hours per week), and listening to recorded music (23 percent listen 12 or more hours per week). Students report spending fewer hours reading with 3 percent indicating that they spend 12 or more hours reading each week. When asked whether work, sports, clubs/organizations, personal relationships, or child care interfered with reading and study, the students responded that personal relationships as well as clubs and organizations interfered more often with reading and studying.