Since 2007, the Institute for Czech Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has conducted the reading research in the Czech Republic. The main investigator of this scholar research is Jiří Trávníček. The research is jointly administered by the National Library of the Czech Republic and with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

The quantitative line of research

It is based on regular statistical survey of the readers and reading in the Czech Republic. The survey is conducted on the representative sample of 1500 respondents, citizens of the Czech Republic, aged 15 years and over. This research is projected in successive three-year intervals (2007, 2010, 2013 …), approximately 80 per cent of the questionnaires remaining constant from testing to testing (to allow comparison) and 20 per cent focusing on a specific field: in 2007 - the libraries, in 2010 – the belles-lettres, in 2013 – the book market. The monograph outputs appear the following year after the realization of the research. In addition to these monographs the constituent outputs of the research are published, in the form of journal studies (Host, Čtenář and other journals, including the foreign ones) and web presentations.

The qualitative line of research

In 2009 the field trial of the so-called reader´s autobiographies started. This data collection should be completed in 2013/14. Then the work on the monograph of the present generations of the Czech readers will follow. In part,  the findings of the statistical research will be taken into consideration. The data collection is arranged in two ways: both the anonymous readers´  autobiographies of the Czech citizens of different regions, profession, age etc. are recorded and transcribed and the non-anonymous readers´ autobiographies of the personalities of the field of literature and book culture (writers, publishers, librarians, literary scholars, booksellers and others) are recorded and transcribed. The data collection of the second part should be completed in 2012 so that the commented edition of the 35-40 readers´ autobiographies of the „literary men“ can be prepared.

The published outputs

Jiří Trávníček: Readers and Internauts. Czech Citizens and Their Attitude to Reading (2010) (Host-Národní knihovna, Brno 2011)

The book presents the findings of the second representative reading research in the Czech Republic. The data show how the readers are spread, namely who are the „workhorses“ and, in contrast, who tend to low the achievement, where the barriers lie, and what are the strengths of the Czech reading culture. Further on, the reading is viewed in the context of the activity-system – media-related, in working time and leisure time. The specific theme of the second research is reading the belles-lettres and reading in a digital context.

Česká čtenářská krajina ze statistického pohledu. Nad výzkumem čtenářů a čtení v roce 2010, Host 27, 2011, č. 1

Nad druhým reprezentativním výzkumem čtenářů a čtení v ČR, Čtenář 63, 2011, č. 3. 

Jak čteme (2). Čtenáři a čtení v ČR (2010), Grand Biblio 5, 2011, č. 1.

Prezentaci výsledků statistického šetření z roku 2010 (.pdf)

Jiří Trávníček: Do We Read? Czech Citizens and Their Attitude to the Book (Host, Brno 2008)

First, the author deals with the phenomenon of reading (book reading), and then he arranges the individual data of the survey into several fields: „The Book“ (reading, buying, lending, home libraries), further on, „Time“ (leisure time, working time, reading and other media) and finally, „Values“ connected to books (preferences, influences, attitudes, habits, motivations). In the conclusion, the results of the survey are confronted with the traditional prejudices about reading books, which are widespread especially in the present day.

Čtenáři a čtení v České republice (2007), samostatná příloha čas. Host 24, 2008, č. 2.

Reprezentativní průzkum čtenářů a čtení v České republice, Čtenář 60, 2008, č. 1.

Několik česko-německých srovnání, in Čtenářství, jeho význam a podpora (Praha 2008)

Prezentace výsledků statistického šetření z roku 2007 (.pdf)

Reception in media

http://www.denik.cz/z_domova/cesi-jsou-velci-ctenari-knihy-ale-n20100929.html

http://tn.nova.cz/zpravy/domaci/cesi-prectou-nejmene-jednu-knihu-rocne-maji-radi-viewegha.html

http://www.radio.cz/cz/clanek/132156

http://www.metro.cz/domov/3442-cesi-ctou-ale-knih-kupuji-mnohem-mene-nez-driv

http://www.ct24.cz/kultura/102763-co-cech-to-ctenar/video/1/

http://www.rozhlas.cz/default/default/rnp-player-2.php?id=2156221&drm=

http://www.denik.cz/z_domova/cesko-zeme-kde-lide-knihy-stale-hltaji20101107.html

http://www.rozhlas.cz/zpravy/literatura/_zprava/940273

http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ct24/kultura/134521-cesi-ctou-mene-ale-prece/

Nechme děti číst Pratchetta pod lavicí  (rozhovor Jiřího Trávníčka s Petrem Zídkem, Lidové noviny 1. 10. 2011, příloha Orientace, s. 27).

Reviews of Čteme?:

Ondřej Hausenblas, In: Česká literatura 57, 2009, č. 4.

Pavel Šidák, In: Rukopis, 4, 2009, č. 6.

Vlasta Řeřichová, In: Slovo o slove. Zborník Katedry komunikačnej a literárnej výchovy Pedagogickej fakulty Prešovskej

univerzity, roč. 15, s. 316-318, 2009.

Partners:

Press:

• TISKOVÁ ZPRÁVA (vydání knihy Čtenáři a internauti)
• TISKOVÁ ZPRÁVA (výsledy výzkumu 2010)