Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly New Zealand Book Council) aims to grow a nation of readers. It wants to do this because New Zealand’s literacy rates directly impact on its future prosperity and wellbeing. The research about the societal benefits of reading is clear – it increases empathy and social skills, and it improves health and wellbeing.

The research reported here set out to better understand New Zealanders’ online reading behaviours. Unlike previous research, this report used a version of an ‘experiential sampling’ design, asking about what people were reading at various points across the day and week. This kind of approach is a more reliable guide to what people are doing than based simply on asking them to recall what they have done. As a result, this research likely presents a unique insight into our reading behaviour.