A comparative study of student reading and book buying habits

The objective of this study is to analyze the main aspects of reading habits and book purchasing behavior of university students in Zadar, Croatia, Pisa, Italy and Nanking, China. The authors will present a theorethical framework and the outcomes of a pilot study conducted comparatively in Pisa, Italy, Zadar, Croatia, and Nankig, China. The first part of the paper will discuss the theorethical framework based on the literature review of research papers published mainly in 2013 and 2014. The second part will present the results of a comparative study of university students' habits in book buying and reading in Pisa, Italy (the total of 55.000 students, a sample of 561 students, Zadar, Croatia (the total 5.500 students, a sample of 193 students) and Nanking, China (the total 30.000 students, a sample of 350 students). The main research questions are: - What are the books’ main rivals in occupying the leisure time of university students? - Who influenced the development of the students’ reading habits? - How much time do students spend reading online and on what devices? - What influences the students’ selection and the ultimate decision to purchase a book? - How do students acquire books for leisure reading? - How do student reading and book buying habits differ between the three universities in Italy, Croatia and China?