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

Description of the dataset (purpose of the study) This study builds on previous research, in which Finnish and Georgian students reported long school days, extensive amount of mandatory readings, the need for personal time and social preferences as the major impediments to leisure reading. The pandemic created a unique opportunity to reassess these factors and observe the change in reading habits, as many of these impediments were removed. This data set was gathered to investigate the changes in reading habits during COVID-19 among Georgian and Finnish school adolescents. Under the reading habits we consider: reading frequency (Time spent on reading), library visits (monthly visits to library), preferred reading materials (literature, journals, magazines…) and reading formats (prints, electronics, pdfs, ect). Additionally, this data set enables the research to observe the perceived function of reading during COVID-19 among students. This concept is broken into three variables: reading utility (how useful reading was during COVID-19), reading enjoyment and perception of reading as a stress coping mechanism. Data is collected in Finland and Georgia among students aged 15-18. The data is analyzed using the SPSS statistical package.