Research on the reading habits of the Esperanto community

Abstract

Sociological research on the Esperanto community has until now only to a limited degree concentrated on reading habits. In this article the author uses his own research on reading conducted during the 100th World Esperanto Congress (in 2015) as the basis for a comparison between the reading habits of those who use Esperanto with the results of research on reading habits carried out by the National Library of Poland (Biblioteka Narodowa) in Warsaw. Despite the difficult development conditions of Esperanto culture, with no school system or organized and well-financed cultural institutions, the Esperanto community has, on average, higher educational levels and reads more books than does the general public in Poland.