The 6th edition of the “Portraits of Reading in Brazil” survey found that over the past four years, the number of readers in the country has fallen by 6.7 million. For the first time in the survey’s history, the proportion of non-readers is higher than that of readers in the Brazilian population: 53% of people had not read even part of a book— whether in print or digital format—of any genre, including educational, biblical, and religious works, in the three months prior to the survey.

The number of non-readers recorded in 2024 represents a five-percentage-point increase compared to 2019, which was the most recent edition of the survey. 

"Retratos da Leitura" is considered the most comprehensive study on measuring the behavior of Brazilian readers. It was conducted by the IPEC Institute (Inteligência em Pesquisa e Consultoria) and surveyed 5,504 respondents during home visits in 208 municipalities between April 30 and July 31, 2024.

School is no longer a place for reading

Most respondents cited their own homes (85%) as the place where they usually read. “It is concerning to note how classrooms are no longer places for reading, as the historical data shows,” commented the research coordinator, Zoara Failla.

In 2007, 35% cited this school setting. In 2011, the figure was 33%. In the next survey, conducted in 2015, mentions accounted for 25% of the population. In 2019, the figure was 23%. And now it stands at 19%, the lowest rate ever recorded.

At the same time, it is also evident that book recommendations from schools are playing an increasingly smaller role in people’s motivations to read. When asked about the book they are currently reading, only 4% of respondents said they were reading it based on a school recommendation—a figure that stood at 25% in 2011 and 10% in the survey’s last two editions (2015 and 2019).

How can we encourage a habit of reading?

In an interview with Agência EBC, Paula Janaína (GO) and Terezinha Juraci (RS), teachers of early childhood education and children's literature, shared some tips to help teachers encourage children to develop a habit of reading.

“It’s important for teachers to engage students in stories whenever they set out to tell them. They should read the story, consider which story they want to tell and what their goal is, so that the story is successful and captures the children’s interest,” said Terezinha.

Tips for teachers:

• Organize interactive sessions between children, parents, and teachers about the books they have read; 
• Encourage creative activities based on the readings, such as drawing, painting, collage, clay modeling, etc.; 
• Include a variety of literary genres (poetry, short stories, fables, etc.);
• Encourage the creation of comic books;
• Visit libraries so that students have the opportunity to handle the books;
• Encourage projects such as "book baskets" or "reading bags."

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