There are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics. It may seem distressing that on average Malaysians only read two books a year according to a 1996 National Library Survey.

But let me try and put this into context. According to the 2002 US Census Bureau Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, on average Americans read six books a year.

So given my absence of any insidious agenda (unless thrusting fiction in a bored young adult's face counts), these descriptive statistics do not lie.

Given that the American population is nearly 13 times larger than the Malaysian population, I would say that statistically at least, the National Library has an easier task than the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) in getting people to read.

Still, I am not optimistic that I will see a 'Library Bus' driving through Jalan Tun Razak anytime soon. Somehow it just seems more compelling to have a bus marked 'Megamall Bus' ferrying frenzied shoppers.

Looking at some findings about American reading habits (see chart) as a comparison, we can focus on the positives. Using time series statistics and discounting for sampling error, we have improved from reading two pages a year in the 1980s to reading two books a year in 1996.

Then by using a comparative analysis approach, we don't seem so far off from the Americans who belong to the formally called First World.

While some readers of malaysiakini may find that reading two books a year is appalling, it is important to remember that such readers form outliers in the population. These outliers tend to be better educated, earn higher incomes and read more.

Understanding habits

To get a better sense of the magnitude of the issue, one would need to understand the distribution of reading habits throughout the population.

One should also appreciate how to play the game of definitions in statistics. The US Census Bureau operates with strict definitions in describing reading habits.

Newspapers, magazines and Internet e-books/e-articles do not count. So technically reading malaysiakini does not count.

Face it, after a hard day's work and taking care of the kids how many of us go beyond newspapers or even magazines like Time, Newsweek and the Economist?

I would salute individuals who have the discipline and sheer doggedness to read the Economist from cover to cover every week.

So my point is that we should be heartened from a statistical perspective. This comfort can arguably be extended to what it takes for Malaysia to achieve First World status. We are working with an upward trend that has held steady for nearly a decade.

We can actually catch up with the Americans. This is because that while we are on an upward trend, they are on a downward trend of 7 percent. We'll catch up with them while they're on their way down.

Reading culture

This competition between Malaysians and Americans may be in our favour. Malaysia has relatively fewer resources to promote reading. Book prices are dictated by the private market and by the whims of the exchange rate.

Second-hand bookshops such as my old haunt in Central Market and the lady who delivers books to people's mailboxes are more reasonable.

Then there are the few bookshops in KL owned by intellectuals. Though delightful, I'm not sure that many minds operate within the realms of Descartes (siapa tu?). Furthermore these alternatives to the oligopoly of book retail cannot achieve critical mass.

On the other hand Americans have it served to them on a silver platter. Strand Books in New York City has 26km of books and many of these are secondhand and cost about a dollar. These tattered books are overflowing onto side streets, begging for people to steal them.

For a time there was even a trend where people would deliberately leave books on benches in Central Park, a read-it-and-pass-it-along if you will. Then there is cultivating reading on the subway. Every New Yorker knows better than to make eye contact and what's left is to fixate on advertising posters overhead.

The Poetry Society of America places prettily designed poems overhead for reading. Yet even that doesn't help the statistics identified above. So while we don't have a 'Library Bus', they have way too much help and we're still only four books behind them.

Although I have made the argument that playing catch up is less intimidating, it is important to learn from the Americans the role that reading has in society. It is not limited to the school goer and educational attainment for the sake of higher income.

Reading for all

This year's national reading campaign theme is correct Membaca Santapan Minda Sekeluarga Bacalah Bersama Keluarga. Reading involves the family - both children and adults.

While Malaysian society is pretty much on board concerning the virtues of reading for children, I suspect that many adults fail to appreciate what reading can do for them. We may look no further than to augment incomes and social positions.

In our minds, there should not be a correlation between an increase in knowledge acquisition and an increase in salaries. Hence the National Library needs to go one step further. Instead of just positioning this year's campaign as reading by example in the parent-child relationship, we need to take a long hard look at adult reading per se.

We may prefer to substitute our time for reading with shopping, playing video games or watching TV. In comparison to these substitutes, reading requires imagination, discipline and reflection.

Its effects are subtle such as the ability to innovate, to discern and to think critically. It does not quicken the pulse and provide immediate social gratification such as showing off a Burberry bag.

While there are no empirics, these substitutes may be taking up a large chunk of our leisure time. This may be to the extent that we only have time to read two books a year.

At the crux of it there shouldn't even be an issue of having substitutes for reading. It should be a necessary habit like brushing one's teeth. It should be irreplaceable. This is a necessity that the NEA understands but many others do not - it understands that there is a connection between reading and a greater sense of community.

Granted the effects of reading are understated. But arguably the individual who sticks with it can gain greater observation skills, better imagination and the ability to innovate. As a result the individual can become civic minded and aware of things that need to be addressed in the neighborhood or in the community.

So there you have it. The secret to catching up with the Americans is to read more books.

TREENA WU is an economist and public policy analyst pursuing her PhD. She is currently residing in New York.