On the occasion of the International Day of the Basque Language, to be held on 3 December, the Basque Youth Observatory is publishing a preview of data on reading in Basque among Basque youth aged 15 to 29 from the "Basque Youth 2020/2021" research. This is a four-yearly survey, but due to the pandemic, some of the questions planned for 2020, such as those relating to artistic and cultural activities, were postponed to 2021. The report brings together data from the two surveys conducted between 2020 and 2021.
In 2021, 32.8% of Basque young people aged 15 to 29 say that they have read a book in Basque in the last three months. The difference between men and women is not as great as for reading in general. Among women, 34.9% say that they have read a book in Basque in the last three months, while among men the percentage is 30.8%.
Up to 55.2% of those aged 15 to 19 say they have read a book in Basque in the last three months; this percentage drops to 22.8% in the next five-year age group, those aged 20 to 24, probably due to the change of cycle in their studies. The percentage of people who read in Basque drops even further if we look at the next age group, those aged 25 to 29, among whom 19.1% say they have read a book in Basque in the last three months.
