Changes in Reading Habits Among School Adolescents During COVID-19: A Comparative Study of Georgia and Finland

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has changed lifestyles worldwide, including reading behaviors. Cultural and environmental factors, including pandemic-related policies, have influenced such changes. This research builds on the previous study in which Finnish and Georgian students identified long school days, extensive mandatory readings, and social preferences as barriers to leisure reading. The pandemic created a unique opportunity to reexamine these barriers, as many were alleviated during the COVID-19 lockdown. This quantitative, cross-cultural research examined changes in reading habits and the perceived role of reading during challenging times. Results indicated increased reading time across both countries, with variations in content and format preferences, as well as in the perceived function of reading. The findings of this study will welcome further research to measure the sustainability of these changes after the pandemic. Furthermore, parents and educators will be encouraged to promote reading for social and emotional well-being. Knowing the cultural differences in reading behavior will help teachers to successfully plan the activities within multicultural environments. Policymakers also must reevaluate the restrictive measures and their impact on reading habits during crises.