Why does it matter if people read, or if reading is able to flourish in South African society? Reading gives us power – to learn new things, tell our stories and shape our futures. It helps build a stronger, more equal economy and a connected society. It improves educational outcomes, economic opportunities, critical thinking abilities, empathy, civic engagement and child-adult relationships.
To improve reading in South Africa, a whole-of-society approach is needed. Adult reading practices, home literacy environments, libraries and community resources, social norms around reading, policies and budget allocations, publishing industry activities and accessible data all impact on reading.
The National Reading Barometer (NRB) project seeks to spark debate and enable collective decision-making around shared priorities and collaborative action in support of literacy and reading.
Methodology
The NRB was commissioned and managed by the Nal’ibali Trust in partnership with the National Library of South Africa, with additional support from the Zenex Foundation, DG Murray Trust (DGMT) and the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT). It was implemented by Social Surveys Africa with Social Impact Insights Africa.
The project comprised two components:
- National Reading Survey (NRS): a nationally representative survey (n=4 251) of the population aged 16 years and over. It profiles adults’ reading practices, preferences and contexts, and includes questions about reading with children, digital reading, library use and language preferences.
- National Reading Barometer (NRB): selected data points from the NRS combined with a new compilation of secondary datasets, which collate and track changes in the overall health of the South African reading ecosystem.
The NRS and NRB will be repeated in 2026 and 2030.
Findings

Findings
The NRS shows that adult South Africans read in many ways, including to gain information to communicate in addition to reading for enjoyment, and that they value reading. However, access to appropriate reading material is a major barrier. While three-quarters of South Africans have at least one book at home(including religious books and textbooks), only 37% have at least one fiction or non-fiction book.
87%
Have some print materials at home(newspaper, magazine, religious book, dictionary or textbook)
93%
of adults agree that reading which children improves school performance
52%
of adults who live with children read with them( up from 35% in 2016)
30%
Have at least one children’s book
75%
Have at least one book at home(including religious texts, dictionaries and textbooks)
37%
Have at least one fiction or non-fiction book
Children
A positive trend is that reading with children in the home is increasing and that caregivers understand the importance of reading with children.
Acess to reading materials
Reading with children
National Reading Barometer 2023
An enabling environment for reading and the availability of reading materials go beyond individual reading practices and preferences to include the institutional, policy and resourcing environment for reading.
The NRB compiles 55 data sources that reflect the wider reading ecosystem, categorising each measure as constraining, emerging or enabling for the ecosystem.
Most measures are currently emerging (46%). The barometer sets targets for an enabling ecosystem, allowing stakeholders across the reading and literacy sector to work together towards improving this picture.

29%
Constrainining
National Reading Barometer 2023
46%
Emerging
16%
Enabling
9%
Unknown
National picture
CSI funding for literacy
One of the measures in the NRB looks at the level of corporate social investment (CSI) funding for literacy. CSI resources are an important part of the institutional framework for reading in the country, augmenting resources provided by the public sector and foundations.
This measure uses The Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2022 which shows that ~R479.6 million (or 4.4% of CSI funding) is currently specifically earmarked for literacy programmes. This estimate is derived from the calculation that, of R10.9 billion in CSI funding in 2022, 44% went to education (R4.8 billion), and 10% of education funding went to literacy (an estimated R479.6 million).
This was a 19% increase on the previous year’s total literacy investment. While this is a large amount in absolute terms and recognised as a positive trend, the barometer categorises it as ‘emerging’ (amber), recognising that 4.4% is insufficient for a key national development priority. For this measure to be ‘enabling’, a high-level target has been set at ~11% of all CSI funds to be allocated to literacy.
How companies can support the national reading ecosystem
Ring-fence funding for literacy
Education is already a major CSI focus area, but within this it is important to prioritise and ring-fence funding for literacy, especially early literacy. This includes ensuring that corporate interventions in early childhood development (ECD) and primary schools include a focus on building literacy skills and the availability of reading materials.
Books in homes matter
The NRB sets a target that each child under the age of ten should own a minimum of 20 books or printed materials. This means receiving at least two books per year. Civil society organisations distributed over six million books in 2022, but more must be done. Companies can fund initiatives that get existing book anthologies into homes, including adding book distribution to other child-related interventions, e.g. mother and child health programmes, child feeding schemes and ECD initiatives.
Adult reading matters to child reading
The NRS showed that adults who identify as ‘readers’ and who regularly read for themselves are much more likely to read with their children. Through internal reading competitions, reading clubs and volunteer days, companies can encourage their staff to read with their children and to read for themselves, to identify as readers and to encourage reading in their families and communities.
Help people read in African languages
Materials are scarce, especially for children older than ten and young adults, so companies should support literacy non-profit organisations to expand their existing book programming to older ages and support local authors (and interested community members via training programmes) to publish and distribute books.
Adopt a library
The NRS shows that library users are very satisfied with their libraries and that libraries are a highly effective public service. But they are under-resourced. Just as companies adopt schools, they can adopt their local library and assist with technology, materials acquisition, volunteers and funding for community outreach programmes.
Find out more
- Further information about the project, summary reports and technical reports.
- Contact info@readingbarometersa.org
Source: The original version of this article was published in the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2023 (26th edition).