In Singapore, You Can Now Get Paid For Reading. Here's How

Singapore has started a new campaign to encourage people to read more. The country is offering small cash rewards to people who spend time reading and record their reading sessions online.

The five-year campaign was launched this month by Singapore's National Library Board (NLB). People can log their reading time on a government website and earn virtual coins, CNN reported.

Under the programme, reading for at least 15 minutes earns 20 coins. People need 1,000 coins to get SG$1, which is around $0.80. Only one reading session can be recorded each day. This means a person has to read for 15 minutes on 50 different days to earn SG$1.

The idea is to make reading a regular habit at a time when people are spending more time on short videos, social media and other online content.

NLB chief Melissa Tam said short-form content can help people stay informed, but spending more time reading longer material can improve attention, critical thinking and imagination. 

"Ultimately, we want to see a nation of readers who are curious, thoughtful, discerning and equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world," she added.

The campaign comes as teachers and experts in several countries are worried about falling attention spans and changing reading habits. 

Singapore already performs well in international reading tests. However, reading for fun can become less common as students grow older. Loh Chin Ee from Singapore's National Institute of Education said 15 minutes is a simple target for people who do not read regularly.

"What has happened is that many people still do read when you talk about reading words on a screen. But the kind of deep reading, spending time and being committed to reading may occur less often," Loh said, adding that people still read a lot on their phones and computers, but they may be spending less time on deep reading. 

Isaac Neo, a 32-year-old risk analyst in Singapore, said students can lose interest in reading for fun when they reach secondary school. "There are a lot of big examinations and you start to read only for what you're being tested on. And then, slowly you lose the habit of reading for leisure," he said.

Book and lifestyle creator Charmaine Lim, 28, said she would rather see people reading on public transport, even if they miss their stop, than constantly hearing TikTok videos and AI-generated Chinese dramas playing around them.

The campaign also has a charity programme. NLB hopes people will record a total of 7.5 million reading minutes this year which could help raise up to SG$150,000, or around $118,300, for charity.