Scottish Book Trust Censuswide Survey: Regional breakdown
As part of Scottish Book Trust’s 21 Anniversary celebrations, the charity commissioned a survey of 1,000 Scots, including 500 parents of children aged 12 or under, led by Censuswide, July 2019.
Fiction print books
Perth and Aberdeen are the cities with the most daily fiction readers, with 1 in 5 respondents agreeing they read physical fiction books every day. Meanwhile, Inverness is the city is less likely to read fiction daily, with just under 13% of those surveyed picking up a fiction book.
| Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Inverness | Perth | Stirling |
| 20.65% | 13.87% | 19.80% | 13.13% | 12.63% | 22.22% | 18.37% |
Non-fiction print books
Reading non-fiction books daily was most popular in Perth, with nearly 15% of those surveyed favouring that genre. Inverness was the least interested in non-fiction books, with 41% claiming to never read them.
Reads non-fiction daily
| Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Inverness | Perth | Stirling |
| 7.74% | 9.49% | 5.45% | 4.63% | 6.32% | 14.81% | 5.10% |
Never reads non-fiction
| Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Inverness | Perth | Stirling |
| 25.16% | 26.28% | 23.27% | 24.32% | 41.05% | 11.11% | 33.67% |
Mental health and wellbeing
Aberdeen was the city most likely to agree that reading reduces anxiety or stress levels, with 86% of respondents in total replying in favour.
Agree that reading reduces anxiety or stress levels
| Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Inverness | Perth | Stirling |
| 85.8% | 85.41% | 85.15% | 81.85% | 80% | 83.34% | 80.61% |
With regards to whether reading could contribute to a better night’s sleep, Perth came out strongest, with 87% of respondents in total replying in favour.
Agree that reading can contribute to a better night’s sleep
| Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Inverness | Perth | Stirling |
| 80.65% | 82.49% | 79.7% | 78.37% | 80% | 87.04% | 75.51% |
Time to read
On the question of time, Edinburgh was the busiest city, with 35% stating that they don’t have time to read. On the other hand, parents and carers in Perth were most likely to read to their children every day (41% of those surveyed), with Glasgow a close second (36%).
I don’t have time to read
| Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Inverness | Perth | Stirling |
| 32.26% | 32.12% | 35.15% | 29.34% | 29.47% | 31.48% | 29.59% |
I read to my child at home every day
| Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Inverness | Perth | Stirling |
| 28.57% | 27.50% | 34.65% | 35.90% | 23.53% | 40.91% | 26.92% |
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