Reading in the Mobile Era (UNESCO, 2014)

I have re-posted here a UNESCO publication that I did in "UBS Community" early; audience of this group may be of greater interest in.

The study represents a year-long research on the phenomenon of global illiteracy based on studies in seven developing countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

"The overall objective of this study is to better understand the habits, attitudes and preferences of mobile readers by examining when, how, why and to what extent people in developing countries read on mobile devices. The study also highlights current opportunities and challenges related to mobile reading, in order to inform the work of various stakeholders wanting to use mobile devices to increase reading on a large scale." One of very interesting findings in this report is the switch from a male majority (in mobile ownership and average rate of mobile utilization) to a female majority as usage (in reading) level intensifies. This suggests that once women start reading on their phones, they tend to be more highly engaged and read more. Usage data on time spent reading back up this conclusion: female mobile readers spend significantly more time reading per month than males.

It is free for download:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/m4ed/mobile-reading/reading-in-the-mobile-era/.