site.btaReading of Print Materials in Bulgaria Drops by 15% to 20% in Just Five Years, Study Reveals

Reading of print materials in Bulgaria has decreased by 15% to 20% over the past five years, cultural historian and literary scholar Alexander Kiossev told BTA on Monday. Kiossev is leading a study on the state of reading in Bulgaria, which has resulted in the publication of two books: "Reading Practices in Bulgaria 2006–2022" and "Readers in the Text: The Implicit Reader in Contemporary Bulgarian Literature." The books, along with the research project, will be presented Monday evening at St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. 

The research was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of sociologists, cultural experts, literary scholars, anthropologists, educators, and psychologists. "This project began in 2006. We have studied reading patterns in six consecutive waves from then until 2022," Kiossev said.

According to the him, reading practices are in a dual state: print reading is declining, while digital reading is on the rise. "Digital reading has increased by 10% over the past five years," said Kiossev, who is also the director of the Cultural Centre of Sofia University. He explained that digital reading is fast, multi-channel, and often seen as a substitute for other cultural activities during people's free time.

"On digital platforms, people are reading, listening to music, chatting, surfing the web, writing emails, shopping, and doing many other activities that require dispersed attention. This hampers the focused, in-depth engagement with a text, which is the classical form of reading," Kiossev noted.

More than 30% of the Bulgarian population does not read, and this percentage is growing, he pointed out. Kiossev also noted that marginalized cultural groups and minorities are particularly affected. "While the general non-reading rate is about 30%, for comparison, 70% of Bulgarian Roma and around 60% Bulgarian Turks do not read. However, non-readers are not only from ethnic minorities but also from socially marginalized groups. Elderly people, those living in small towns, and, of course, the youth are reading significantly less, regardless of the medium," Kiossev said.

In "Reading Practices in Bulgaria 2006–2022," the authors suggest moving away from a patriotic framework in Bulgarian language and literature education. According to Kiossev, every national education system has a patriotic element, which is not necessarily bad but needs to be handled carefully.

"The problem in Bulgaria is that the patriotic framework, based on traditional texts, leads young readers to feel alienated from this literature. Instead of loving it, they start distancing themselves from it or even hating it. The mandatory nature of the literary canon has the opposite effect; it becomes counterproductive," the scholar explained. "This is a topic widely discussed in academic circles, and there are different opinions on how this reform should be carried out," he added.