The average Chinese adult reads news and other material on smartphone app WeChat twice a day, for a total length of more than 40 minutes, according to new research.
The survey, from latest annual National Reading Survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication included the popular messaging app WeChat for the first time in its poll.
The survey found that 66.4% of adults in China use WeChat to read, and among them, 72.9% read news, 67.1% read their friends’ updates and 20.9% read material published by verified accounts.
There were many practical functions on WeChat in 2014. 27.2% WeChat readers favored QR code scanning; 19% readers used QQ mail and 19% used “shake to find friends nearly”; 15.3% chose to use WeChat payment while 7% readers used online ticket booking and food ordering service in 2014.
One-third of Chinese leisure time is spent on the Internet, especially on mobile phones in China according to CCTV’s research in 2015.
China Press and Publication Academy’s survey involved China mobile phone users from 29 provinces and municipalities in 2014. The data showed that over 60% China adult mobile users read on WeChat in 2014.
There was little difference between male mobile users and females, the survey found.