Do we read enough books anymore? We asked women in Singapore

Singapore wants us to spend at least 15 minutes a day reading. But in a world where we’re constantly scrolling through TikTok, Instagram and endless group chats, how many of us are actually picking up a book?

That’s the idea behind ReadSG, a new five-year national reading movement by the National Library Board (NLB). Through government crowdsourcing platform CrowdTaskSG, participants can log their daily reading sessions and earn virtual coins as an incentive to build a regular reading habit.

The initiative comes after a 2024 NLB study found that only 28 per cent of adults in Singapore read books weekly. That number jumps to almost nine in 10 when news articles, websites and social media content are included.

So, is book reading really becoming a thing of the past? We spoke to women across different ages to find out what they’re reading and how often they’re doing it.

Not hard copies, but a Kindle

Thirty-year-old Yi Ling still reads regularly, but you’ll never catch her carrying around a stack of novels.

“I carry my Kindle around because it’s much more efficient. I’ve got a few books stored on it, so I don’t have to worry about bringing physical books everywhere.”

She tries to read during her commute on weekdays, although it doesn’t always go to plan.

“I’ll usually read on the train to and from work, but I’m so tired that I end up stopping after two pages. Then I just listen to music and close my eyes instead.”

Most of her reading happens on weekends, though even that is less frequent than she’d like.

“I probably read on two weekends a month for about half an hour to an hour whenever I have some free time.”

Does social media count?

For 20-year-old Kalya, reading is something she does every day, just not in the traditional sense.

“I get most of my reading from social media. I read news from ST and CNA on Instagram, Reddit posts and pretty much everything else there.”

The last time she finished a book, however, is much harder to remember.

“Probably when I was studying Literature in school. It takes me a really long time to get through a book because I usually only read one chapter at a time.”

Children’s books have taken over

As a mother of three children under six, Nicole still reads almost every night, but her bookshelf looks very different these days.

“I read to my kids before bedtime most nights. At the moment, those are the only books I’m reading because I don’t really have time to sit down with an adult book when you’ve got three kids running around.”

For now, bedtime stories have replaced beach reads and bestselling novels.

Hard copies for life

While many readers have switched to e-books, Kristina, who is in her late twenties, refuses to give up physical books.

“I know I’m definitely one of the few people who would rather buy and keep the actual book than read it on a Kindle.”

An avid reader, she finishes around two to three books every month, ranging from mystery novels to poetry collections by Lang Leav.

“I make it a point to set aside time every week to read because it’s also how I decompress.”

Not books, but graphic novels

Eighteen-year-old Xin Yi doesn’t usually read traditional novels, but she regularly picks up graphic novels instead.

Some of her favourites include The Many Deaths of Laila Starr and Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. She typically finishes one to two graphic novels a month.

“I think they count, right? It’s still reading a book, just with more pictures and fewer words on each page. I find it much easier to visualise the story that way.”

Maybe the issue isn’t that we’ve stopped reading altogether, but that books are now competing with TikTok, Instagram, Netflix and just about everything else fighting for our attention.

Whether a 15-minute challenge and a few virtual coins are enough to get more of us turning pages remains to be seen, but if nothing else, it’s a reminder that making time for a good book might not be such a bad idea after all.