Readership and Non-Readership Among the Filipino Elderly

Abstract

This study regarding the Readership and Non-Readership Among the Filipino Elderly aims to determine the extent of the elder’s interest and disinterest in reading. Specifically it aims to find the factors that led to the elder’s interest and disinterest in reading, these factors include the socioeconomic status, reading preferences and the role of media. Sample population from this study came from the residents of Palanan, Makati. A total of 75 respondents were gathered aged 60 and above and these respondents were divided according to their socioeconomic status. The respondents belong to two kinds of social class, the middle class and the low class. Among the 75 respondents 43 came from the middle class and 32 came from the low class. Data collection was done through distribution of questionnaires. In this study, significant results showed that the middle class and the low class differ in terms of the reading material commonly read; the middle class frequently read the major daily newspaper while the low class frequently read the Tagalog comics. When it comes to the type of reading material read by the elderly results showed that the middle class prefers the major daily newspaper while the low class prefers the bible. The low class population also spent longer hours in watching television than in reading while the middle class population showed otherwise. Further studies with regard to this topic are encouraged. The reading tradition of the elderly is an interesting study that can be further improve through comparing it with a different sample population like the teenagers and adults. Another thing that can be done in this study is by comparing the results gathered here with that of the results that can be gathered from an elderly population in a rural area. Lastly, a look into the reading comprehension of the elderly can also be of used to make this study richer by comparing the results of the elderly with that of a different sample population.