Poll Archive
Previous poll results
Should children's books have age guides? | |
| I work in the book industry and I say yes | 17% |
| I work in the book industry and I say no | 23% |
| I am a member of the book buying public and I say yes | 38% |
| I am a member of the book buying public and I say no | 18% |
| I am an author and I say yes | 1% |
| I am an author and I say no | 3% |
Do you read aloud? | |
| Yes, to myself | 13% |
| Yes, to children | 43% |
| Yes, to my partner or others | 19% |
| No, I never read aloud | 26% |
Help our editor, Rowena, find her next book to read. Vote for one of the books below. | |
| The Great World by David Malouf | 7% |
| The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand | 5% |
| A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry | 16% |
| City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende | 6% |
| Twilight by Stephanie Myer | 11% |
| Blood of Dreams by Susan Parisi | 4% |
| Engleby by Sebastian Faulks | 5% |
| Catch 22 by Joseph Heller | 16% |
| The Secret River by Kate Grenville | 29% |
| Sinister Twilight by Noel Barber | 1% |
Help our editor, Rowena, find her next book to read. Vote for one of the books below. | |
| The Great World by David Malouf | 0% |
| The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand | 33% |
| A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry | 0% |
| City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende | 0% |
| Twilight by Stephanie Myer | 0% |
| Blood of Dreams by Susan Parisi | 0% |
| Engleby by Sebastion Faulks | 0% |
| Catch 22 by Joseph Heller | 33% |
| The Secret River by Kate Grenville | 33% |
| Sinister Twilight by Noel Barber | 0% |
Which novel should win the Miles Franklin Award in 2008? Choose from the shortlist. | |
| The Fern Tattoo by David Brooks | 29% |
| Landscape of Farewell by Alex Miller | 29% |
| Love Without Hope by Rodney Hall | 12% |
| Sorry by Gail Jones | 18% |
| The Time We Have Taken by Steven Carroll | 12% |
The Miles Franklin Award Shortlist for 2008 will be announced on 17 April. Which book would you choose from the longlist? | |
| The Fern Tattoo by David Brooks | 9% |
| The Time We Have Taken by Steven Carroll | 3% |
| Love without Hope by Rodney Hall | 9% |
| Orpheus Lost by Janette Turner Hospital | 12% |
| Sorry by Gail Jones | 0% |
| The Widow and her Hero by Tom Keneally | 12% |
| The Memory Room by Christopher Koch | 30% |
| Landscape of Farewell by Alex Miller | 21% |
| Secrets of the Sea by Nicholas Shakespeare | 3% |
Do you have any books at home that you've borrowed from a library and never returned? | |
| No, who does that? | 79% |
| Yes, I confess! | 15% |
| I'm not telling! | 6% |
When reading a book, do you: | |
| bend the spine back and put the book facedown? | 3% |
| use a bookmark? | 82% |
| turn down the pages at the corners? | 10% |
| none of the above because I always remember where I am up to | 5% |
How long do you think it will be until ebooks outsell the printed version? | |
| 5 years | 10% |
| 10 years | 10% |
| 20 years | 7% |
| Never | 73% |
Some Australian booksellers and distributors have decided not to stock the new biography of Tom Cruise by Andrew Morton. Do you think this is form of censorship? | |
| Yes | 78% |
| No | 22% |
Do you judge a book by its cover? | |
| Yes, I am strongly influenced to read a book by its cover | 25% |
| Sometimes I am partly influenced by a book's cover to read it | 62% |
| The cover has no influence on my decision to read a book | 13% |
Would it help you if publishers were to print an age guide on children's books? | |
| Yes | 90% |
| No | 10% |
Where do you usually buy most of your books? | |
| Independent bookshops | 21% |
| Chain bookshops | 20% |
| Supermarkets | 1% |
| A mixture of independent & chain bookshops | 37% |
| A mixture of all of the above | 20% |
Do you read poetry? | |
| Not at all | 34% |
| Rarely | 22% |
| Occasionally | 32% |
| Often | 12% |
Have you been or are you now a member of a reading group? | |
| Yes, I am currently a member | 40% |
| No, I have never been a member | 15% |
| No, but I would like to join one at some stage | 28% |
| No, but I have been in the past | 17% |
The 2007 Man Booker Prize shortlist has been announced. Who do you think will win? | |
| On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan | 30% |
| Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones | 39% |
| The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid | 6% |
| The Gathering by Anne Enright | 0% |
| Darkmans by Nicola Barker | 18% |
| Animal's People by Indra Sinha | 6% |
Do you buy, borrow or both? | |
| I only buy my books | 19% |
| I only borrow my books from the library | 5% |
| I buy and borrow my books | 75% |
Where do you do most of your reading? | |
| In bed | 69% |
| In the lounge room | 12% |
| Elsewhere in the house | 5% |
| In the garden | 3% |
| While commuting to and from work | 5% |
| In cafes | 2% |
| Other | 3% |
What you do with the books you buy and have enjoyed reading? | |
| Keep them in your library but never lend them out. | 24% |
| Keep them in your library and then lend them out. | 48% |
| Pass them on to your family and friends. | 18% |
| Give them to your local library or charity. | 10% |
Would you purchase a book written by or about the experiences of David Hicks? | |
| No | 66% |
| No, not if he profited from the sales | 4% |
| Yes, providing he did not profit from the sales | 8% |
| Yes, even if he profited from the sales | 22% |
The Miles Franklin Award Shortlist has been announced. Vote for who you think should win. | |
| 'Careless' by Deborah Robertson | 26% |
| 'Carpentaria' by Alexis Wright | 35% |
| 'Dreams of Speaking' by Gail Jones | 18% |
| 'Theft: A Love Story' by Peter Carey | 21% |
Do you re-read your books? | |
| Yes, I often go back and read a book again | 21% |
| Sometimes, if I have really enjoyed something | 26% |
| Rarely, I've only re-read a few | 31% |
| Never, too many new books to read! | 22% |
Are you more likely to read a book if it has won an award? | |
| Yes | 32% |
| Sometimes | 40% |
| No | 28% |
Other forms of entertainment, such as movies and music, are obliged to advise if the product contains sex, violence or extreme language. Do you think publishers of books should be required to do the same? | |
| Yes | 32% |
| Yes, but only on books for younger readers | 32% |
| No, I don't see a need | 36% |
Do the bestseller lists influence what you read? | |
| Yes, often | 11% |
| Sometimes | 51% |
| Not really | 37% |
Have you read any of the Harry Potter books? | |
| Yes, all of them! | 54% |
| Yes, but only some of the series. | 17% |
| No, I haven't read any. | 29% |
Do you agree that convicted criminals, still held in gaol, should be able to financially profit from their crime by publishing their story? | |
| Yes | 8% |
| No | 92% |
Do you think the government has the right to ban books? | |
| Yes | 1% |
| In certain instances | 23% |
| Unsure | 2% |
| No | 74% |
Do you like our new website? | |
| 5/5 Outstanding! | 36% |
| 4/5 Really like it! | 38% |
| 3/5 Pretty good! | 14% |
| 2/5 Worth revisiting | 6% |
| 1/5 Disappointing | 6% |