What were you curious about in 2021?
Has a changing world altered how and what we learn? Britannica publishes our ‘Top 21 in 21’, showcasing the top 21 most read articles among Asia Pacific schools, libraries and universities this year.
Australian Schools
In 2021, Australian teachers and students came to Britannica School for answers over 665,000 times. Putting the “Q” in “Quizzical”, Queensland was the most curious state, accounting for 27% of all articles read. Your top 21 in ’21 included Australia, the Qin Dynasty and our planet Earth.
See Australian Schools Top 21 in 21
New Zealand Schools
Students in New Zealand spent a great deal of time learning on Britannica School this year – roughly 6500 hours in fact – super impressive! You were driven by a desire to understand the context and science behind the year’s biggest headlines. Your top 21 in ’21 included Plate Tectonics, Influenza and Sustainability.
See New Zealand Schools Top 21 in 21
Schools in Asia
In a year of uncertainty, young people from across Asia chose Britannica School to help them know for sure. Queries from South Korea, Hong Kong and Vietnam drove the top searches, while learners in mainland China increased their visits by over 500%. Your top 21 in ’21 included Cambodia, United Nations and Photosynthesis.
What’s trending? Britannica articles that saw the biggest absolute increase in readership, compared to 2020.
Australian Libraries
For library goers in Australia, we loved that your curiosity knew no bounds this year. Your searches on Britannica spanned a wonderfully diverse range of people, events and topics. Your top 21 for ’21 included Australian Aboriginal Peoples, Battle of Culloden and Jainism.
See Australian Libraries Top 21 in 21
New Zealand Libraries
It may have been a year of cancelled travel plans, but you found ways to explore the world anyway. Britannica Library continued to be a popular destination for students and researchers, while others used it to discover people and places beyond New Zealand shores. Your top 21 for ’21 included Timbuktu, BTS and the Philippines.
See New Zealand Libraries Top 21 in 21
Tertiary Institutions in the Asia Pacific
This year, approximately 80,000 students and scholars came to Britannica Academic for the first time. Your research encompassed all disciplines, but you still preferred textual sources over other media types. Across the region, universities in the Philippines, Australia and China performed the most searches. Your top 21 for ’21 included Entomophagy, Afghanistan and Metaphysics.