Readers during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract This study investigates reading literature during the Covid-19 pandemic in Norway. In three surveys conducted across 2020 (combined N = 489), readers were asked about their reading habits, motivations for reading and emotional states after reading. Our results showed that Norwegian readers read more during the pandemic. However, only a minority reported changing their reasons for reading and their reading habits because of the pandemic. For these readers, a feeling of safety and distraction from the ongoing pandemic seemed to be of higher importance. Readers overall experienced that reading allows them to achieve the emotional state they desire, indicating the role reading plays in emotion regulation during the pandemic. We compare these results across gender and age differences. We conclude that reading appears to work as a cultural strategy that helps coping with the pandemic situation.