India - the world's favorite national study

Indians are the world's biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week, twice as long as Americans, according to a new survey.
　　The NOP World Culture Score index surveyed 30,000 people in 30 countries from December 2004 to February 2005.
　　Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures.
　　Time spent on reading meant fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio - India came fourth last in both.
　　The NOP survey of 30,000 consumers aged over 13 saw China and the Philippines take second and third place respectively in average hours a week spent reading books, newspapers and magazines.
　　Britons and Americans scored about half the Indians' hours and Japanese and Koreans were even lower - at 4.1 and 3.1 hours respectively.
　　R Sriram, chief executive officer of Crosswords Bookstores, a chain of 26 book shops around India, says Indians are extremely entrepreneurial and reading "is a fundamental part of their being".
　　"They place a great deal of emphasis on reading. That's the reason why they do well in education and universities abroad," he said.
　　"People educate themselves and deal with change throughout their lives. And the way to do that is to update themselves with books."
　　Mr Sriram says social changes have also made a difference: "Earlier people could turn to their parents and grandparents for advice. Now they turn to books."