Does the Culture Passport benefit reading audiences more than those who are distant from reading?
The pass never had the sole ambition of converting non-readers, but of giving all young people, regardless of their level of practice, the means to access reading freely. It supports both regular readers and creates opportunities for young people further away from reading by removing financial, geographical, and cultural barriers. Some will read more, others will discover new genres, and still others will step into a bookstore for the first time.
According to a study conducted by the Culture Passport on the reading practices of young people in 2024, 85% of users believe that it allows them to buy books more frequently. And 21% of pass readers stated that they did not read before benefiting from it, a proportion that has been steadily increasing since 2022.
Sometimes the resale of books purchased through the Culture Passport (notably manga) is mentioned. Is this a reality, and if so, what measures are being taken?
This practice is actively fought against by the dedicated team. Daily monitoring is carried out on classified ads and marketplaces. Any resale ad of a product purchased through the Culture Passport, or resale of a Culture Passport, is immediately reported to the relevant platform and then removed by the site. The account of the beneficiary behind the ad is immediately and permanently suspended.
The Culture Passport also regularly carries out communication, prevention, and awareness actions to remind beneficiaries of the rules of use and the formal prohibition on reselling products financed by the program.
What avenues do you envision for strengthening the role of books in the Culture Passport and maximizing its economic and cultural impact?
Beyond simply providing credits, the Culture Passport develops a true strategy of cultural mediation around books in all their diversity, deployed on its social networks, marketing channels, and at dedicated events.
The pass’s Book Club brings together a community of 200 young people who receive books every month, write reviews, and share their discoveries on Instagram (65,000 followers for the Club’s account). The Ambassador network participates in literary prize juries, mediation activities in writing, and literary events. The teams are present at major national events (Paris Book Festival, Angoulême Comics Festival, Montpellier Book Comedy, etc.) to strengthen the commitment of beneficiaries. The Culture Passport organized a Writing Contest in the summer of 2024, attracting over 3,300 applications.
Finally, libraries are a priority area: 1,373 establishments are registered, a number on the rise, but still limited. Many struggle to synchronize their catalog for technical reasons. Overcoming these obstacles is a crucial challenge to amplify the reading offer of the Culture Passport.
This article was originally published in issue 34 of Émile, released in November 2025.
