The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences 2020; 6(11) http://www.jomenas.org 15 Reading Habits in Lebanon and France: A Comparison Study Hussin J. Hejase 1 • Ale J. Hejase 2 • Ghada M. Chehimi 3 • Joumana A. Younis 4 1 Senior Researcher, Professor of Business Administration, Beirut, Lebanon 2 Adnan Kassar School of Business, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon 3 Faculty of Letters, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon 4 Faculty of Business, Al Jinan University, Tripoli, Lebanon hussin.hejase@mu.edu.lb Abstract. This study aims to compare reading habits between Lebanon and France by identifying the reading habits among a sample of both residents in general and the educated populace in particular. A quantitative research approach is adopted relying on a survey questionnaire administered to equal samples of 130 persons, selected conveniently based on their willingness to participate, and belonging to different age categories and sexes. Results show that Lebanon has a lower average of reading time. Furthermore, 62.8% of the Lebanese versus 49.2% of the French dedicate 1 to 4 hours per week of reading time as compared to 3.1% of the Lebanese who dedicate 8 to 11 hours per week of reading time versus 21.5% of the French. Both dedicate below the world figures knowing that India occupied the first place with an average of 10.42 hours of reading per week. Lebanon and France are among the group that includes USA and Portugal where the majority of the people mainly read to get informed, keep updated, research a topic, and to be well developed. Lebanon is among the countries which are suffering from a decline in reading and readers though it occupies as well as France high position among the countries of high reading rates where a Lebanese reads an average of 20 books per year versus 25 by the French, a fact that puts Lebanon’s rank better than Spain, USA, Mexico, Portugal and Canada, but less than France; further, an estimated 11.5% of the Lebanese residents and 3.8% of the French do not read when looking at the general reading habits. Outcomes may help add scope and direction to policy makers in the government, to universities and other teaching and learning institutions and the non- government organizations which are concerned. To cite this article [Hejase, H. J., Hejase, A. J., Chehimi, G. M. & Younis, J. A. (2020). Reading Habits in Lebanon and France: A Comparison Study. The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences, 6(11), 15-32]. (P-ISSN 2412- 9763) - (e-ISSN 2412-8937). www.jomenas.org. 4 Keywords: Reading, Time use, books read, reading hurdles, France, Lebanon. 1. Introduction: Annable (2017) contends that the number of students in tertiary education who read for recreation and academic reading has declined. In fact, researchers show that engagement in reading is affected by the readers’ perception that reading has personal relevant reasons (Annable, 2017; Becker, McElvany & Kortenbruck, 2010; Protacio, 2012). The aforementioned characterizes nations across the globe including Lebanon in particular (Hejase et al., 2017). To make things worst and as Lebanon is considered part of the Arab region, Ayish (2010) asserts that Arabs need to turn the page on poor reading habits as found in his work and whereby in his article bewails the reading habit among Arabs, and calls for the renaissance of the first sacred commandment to Prophet Mohammed which was simply “Read” (Al ‘Alaq, 96: 1). Moreover, the article expresses the author’s disappointment when comparing how his fellow Arabs on the subway spend their time talking and looking around when most of the western passengers are engrossed in their books and newspapers. Furthermore, most of the recently published articles lament the reading crises by claiming that the Arab society does not like to read and has the lowest reading audience in the world (Hashem, 2013), or by simply stating survey results indicating that percentages of people hardly ever or never read with people in Lebanon among those who read the least (Al Bawaba, 2011). In fact, many have gone to the extreme of pessimism by asserting that for the Arab world, reading has become one of the impossibilities to find (Thomure, 2011). France is selected based on the historical relationship between the two nations and the fact that many of the education laws are drawn based on previous French Mandate laws. Lebanon was under the French mandate for more than 25 years and since independence relationships have been kept at highest grades. Furthermore, the French were initiators of many educational institutions and Lebanese through time consider France as mother country.