Young people in Italy read more books than their French, Spanish and German peers, a new survey by the research group Censis revealed on Monday.
A survey on young people between the ages of 14 and 29 showed that 62% of Italians read three or more books a year (excluding school textbooks) compared to 43% of young people in Spain, 48% in France and 61% in Germany.
Only Britain pipped Italy to the post, with 65% of young people claiming to read three or more books a year
The survey also revealed that the number of young Italians who read a newspaper at least once or twice a week has risen in the last four years, from 60% in 2003 to 78% in 2007.
Less surprising than the upswing in the popularity of newspapers was the growing number of technologically savvy young Italians, the report said.
Habitual use of the internet (at least three sessions a week) has risen from 40% in 2003 to 74% in 2007, while 97% of young Italians own cell phones, according to Censis.
