How did Covid-19 impact on the books we read, the time we spent on reading and the ways that we discussed books with others? Just how did public reading habits change during the first lockdown months?

Come to our free online event to find out the answers to these questions and more!

We’ll be sharing the results of a survey that we ran in July 2020 which asked participants to reflect on how the first months of lockdown had impacted on their reading.

Nearly 900 participants took part in what we believe is the only study of reading during the early Covid-19 period. Led by the research team, this talk will focus on

1. the types of books participants said they were reading;

2. how the demands of home-working and home-schooling affected reading habits and time available to to read;

3. how and why the lockdown period encouraged some participants to re-read their favourite books;

4. how participants accessed and talked about books during the lockdown;

5. the relationship between lockdown reading and mental health.

Sign up now to find out more!

This event is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of the ESRC Festival of Science 2023