Average Family Spends 7,631 Won on Books

Domestic household spending on books and prints accounts for less than 0.5 percent of total family spending, according to a recent study.

Spending on books, excluding those for newspapers and magazines, amounted to only 8,000 won per month for a family.

April 23 is the “World Book Day,” designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

According to the Korea National Statistical Office’s household income and expense index, the average monthly spending for a family of more than two is 2.12 million won. Out of a family’s total spending, spending for books and prints averaged 12,888 won or 0.49 percent.

More specifically, spending on books (excluding teaching materials for private institutes and books for reference) numbered 7,631 won, followed by 271 won for magazines, 2,256 won for daily newspapers, and 130 won for other print materials like maps and musical notes.

Based on Korea Publisher Association data that shows the average price of a book to be 11,545 won, an average family buys less than a book per month.

The average monthly spending on books rose to 7,750 won in 2004 from 7,658 won in 2003. However, it is going downward again, to 7,667 in 2005 and to 7,631 won in 2006. The level is only about 35 percent of the average monthly spending on tobacco (21,945 won), and about 41 percent of that of cosmetics (18,431 won).

The total amount spent on books varied by householders’ educational background.

For a family whose head graduated from university or completed a master’s or doctoral degree, the spending on books or prints was 0.77 percent (21,120 won) of total consumption (2.75 million won) on average. For a family whose householders graduated from high school only, the ratio stood at only 0.36 percent (7,731 won). For a family whose head graduated from middle school, the ratio was 0.25 percent (4,377 won), and for primary school graduates or lower, the figure was 0.18 percent (2,349 won).

jarrett@donga.com