Recently, the ‘Text Hip’ trend, which is the trendy consumption of reading and writing, has been spreading quickly. As reading has become a cultural phenomenon, SAMSUNG SDI conducted a survey on the reading habits of its employees via internal communication channels*. We would like to share the results of the survey, in which about 527 global employees (443 people from Korea, 84 people from overseas) participated, answering an average of four questions each. 

* SAMSUNG SDI offers various information and insights via SDI talk (Korea) and Global SDI talk (overseas)

47% of respondents said, ‘I read mostly poetry and novel’

[Employees survey on the types of books they read most often]

In response to the question, ‘What kind of books do you often read?’, approximately 47% (260 employees) answered poetry or novels. One employee said, ‘I've recently been reading a series of novels by Han Kang, the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.’ Another said, ‘I like to read poetry and novels because they make me feel emotional, and in this context, I think reading is the best way to end the day.’

Meanwhile, employees who most frequently read self-help books accounted for about 23% (130 employees) of all responses, followed by about 30% of employees who reported regularly reading essays (88 employees) and personal finance books (89 employees), respectively. In particular, one employee said, ‘I study the trend of the times, developments, and the latest technologies such as AI and GPT through reading,’ and ‘at the same time, I am reading essays for travel after retirement.’

Majority of employees read print books... 44% use smartphones and tablets

 [Employees survey on their preferences to reading methods]

When asked ‘How do you prefer to read a book?’, the analogue vibe of a print book was the most popular answer. Specifically, nearly 55 % (429 employees) said they preferred print books, with one employee sharing a personal story of ‘reading in the bathtub and getting the corners of the book wet’.

Nearly half of employees also use smart devices for reading - in fact, nearly 31% (238 employees) and 13% (96 employees) of employees said they read on their smartphones and tablets, respectively. The top reason for using smart devices is the accessibility of being able to read anywhere. ‘At some point, I realized that the text in the report was hard to read, so I downloaded a book app on my smartphone and read whenever I had time,’ said one employee.

There was a notable difference between employees from Korea and overseas when it comes to reading on a tablet, with only 5% (25 employees) of Korean employees using a tablet for reading, compared to 43% (71 employees) of overseas employees. This suggests that global employees are more inclined to read on a tablet.

Half of respondents prefer to read at home... the rest read in a variety of places

[Employees survey on their preference to reading spots]

When asked, ‘Where do you prefer to read?’, nearly 50% (295 employees) of employees said they like to read at home. The percentage of employees who said they read in other places was evenly distributed. About 28% (159 employees) of employees said they preferred to read at a café or library, with one employee explaining why they love the library reading experience by saying, ‘Every month I sign up for a book wish list on my local library's website, and when I get a text when it arrives, I rush to the library with excitement.’

Nearly 12% (68 employees) of employees said they preferred to read on public transport, with one employee sharing his secret to getting more reading done, saying, ‘When travelling, I use the extra time on the bus or train to get a lot of reading done.’

Finally, about 10% (52 employees) of all respondents said they like to read outdoors. According to some employees, audiobooks are a great addition to reading in open spaces, such as parks and riversides. ‘I have a habit of listening to audiobooks while exercising outdoors,’ said one employee, ’and I get so engrossed in the book that I've laughed out loud to myself.’

96% of employees read at least one book a year...

[Employees survey on the number of books read per year]

In response to the question ‘How many books do you read per year?’, only 4% (22 employees) of the total respondents read no books. The majority of our employees read more than one book a year, with about 48% (250 employees) reading between one and five books a year.

About 26% (135 employees) read between five and 10 books a year, and about 22% (112 employees) read 11 or more books. Among these voracious readers, some shared their reading plans. ‘As I get older, I try to read at least one book a month so that I don't become unfamiliar with books,’ said one employee, while another said, “I aim to read at least one book a week and read consistently.” “I'm reading four books this month,” said another employee during the survey.

Reading is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to experience the world. Our employees have also expressed how much they benefit from reading, as they can experience and learn various things indirectly through text. ‘No matter what kind of book I read, I always get something out of it, even if it's small,’ said one employee, adding, “I feel the benefits of reading anew every time I open the cover of a book.” Another said, ’I don't read books because I have to, but because I like them, and they nourish my mind.’ 

November is coming to a close. As autumn always seems unusually short, we hope you'll fill this time with reading to nourish your mind.