Reading Literacy, Reading Habits, Democracy and Innovation: A Cross-National Analysis of Selected European Countries

Although reading literacy has been extensively studied, less attention has been paid to its relationship with democratic development and innovation at the country level. Using harmonised cross-national data from 20 European Union member states and Norway, the study combines indicators of adult reading literacy from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), reading habits from Eurostat, democratic development from the V-Dem Institute and Freedom House, and innovation capacity from the Global Innovation Index. The analysis is correlational, conducted at the country level and focuses on identifying patterns of association among these dimensions. The findings reveal consistent and moderate to strong positive associations between reading literacy and reading habits, as well as between reading literacy, democratic governance, and innovativeness. Countries with higher average levels of adult reading literacy tend to exhibit lower shares of non-readers and low-literate populations, higher proportions of intensive readers, stronger democratic institutions, and greater innovation capacity. These patterns are already visible in descriptive comparisons and are further supported by correlation analyses. Overall, the results suggest that reading literacy is associated with broader patterns of societal development characterised by intensive reading practices, institutional quality, and innovation-oriented development, pointing to the continued relevance of book reading in contemporary societies.