Children's reading rates plummet to lowest since records began, National Literacy Trust data shows

According to new research published today by the National Literacy Trust (NLT), children and young people’s enjoyment of reading has fallen to the lowest level in almost two decades over the past year.

A survey of more than 76,000 UK children and young people revealed that only one in three (35%) eight to 18-year-olds say they enjoy reading in their free time. This is the lowest level recorded by the charity since it first started surveying children about their reading 19 years ago, and is a percentage point drop of around 9% in the past 12 months alone (43%).

The charity described the findings as "a crisis point", echoing conversations held at The Bookseller’s recent Children’s Conference, at which the book industry urged the government to create a plan to boost reading for pleasure for children across the UK.

The NLT research found that the reading enjoyment crisis is particularly impacting boys and young people in secondary school, echoing J J Arcanjo’s recent comment piece for The Bookseller: Has publishing abandoned teen boys? According to the research, the gender gap in children and young people’s reading enjoyment nearly tripled in the last year (from 5% to 12%), with fewer than three in 10 (28%) boys now saying they enjoy reading in their free time, compared with four in 10 (41%) girls.

Researchers said: "Reading enjoyment has fallen across all age groups, with those in secondary school reporting the steepest declines. Just 3 in 10 secondary pupils (31% aged 11 to 14 and 30% aged 14 to 16) currently say they enjoy reading in their free time, compared with more than half of primary pupils (51.9% aged eight to 11).

"The research revealed that when children and young people enjoy reading in their free time, their reading skills, aptitude for learning, wellbeing, empathy and confidence benefit."

The data showed that twice as many children and young people who enjoy reading in their free time have above average reading skills than children who don’t enjoy it (34% versus 16%). The NLT said: “This finding is important at a time when children and young people’s reading skills are cause for concern, particularly for those from disadvantaged communities.”

The NLT is calling on the government to urgently form a reading taskforce and action plan with multi-sector partners to address declining rates of reading enjoyment and, in its curriculum and assessment review, prioritise reading for pleasure alongside the skills that are vital in the development of confident, motivated readers.

The charity is also committing, over the next three years, to directly supporting and empowering 1.5 million more children and young people from disadvantaged communities to read for pleasure and develop greater confidence in their reading skills. This will include accelerating the growth of its Libraries for Primaries campaign, to ensure every primary school in the UK has a dedicated library space by 2028.

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “With children and young people’s enjoyment of reading at an all-time low, and high numbers leaving primary and secondary school without the reading skills they need to thrive, the futures of a generation are being put at risk.

“So many families, schools, libraries, charities, publishers, businesses and more are already inspiring children’s reading in such diverse and innovative ways. But to truly make reading for pleasure a national priority, we are urging the government to form a reading taskforce and action plan with multi-sector partners—amplifying our collective reach and influence, strengthening our impact and reimagining solutions to this complex crisis.

“Our dedication to this cause will be unrelenting. Over the next three years, we will support and empower 1.5 million more children and young people from disadvantaged communities to read for pleasure and develop greater confidence in their reading skills. By expanding and deepening our work in schools and communities, we will strive to play a significant role in growing a generation of readers.”

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstones Children’s Laureate, said: “As Waterstones Children’s Laureate, I want to do everything in my power to get reading as a right for all into the national conversation. We know that children who read for pleasure, and children who are read to, gain all kinds of benefits. From increased vocabulary to vastly improved mental wellbeing. But today’s survey shows that too often as a nation we are withholding those benefits from our children.

“Over the last 19 years, enjoyment of reading has dropped by almost a third. These benefits are becoming a kind of invisible privilege. This has gone on long enough. The bad news is that we are at risk of losing a generation. The good news is that the solution is in our hands.”

The NLT has also launched the #GrowAGenerationOfReaders social media campaign—backed by authors, charities, publishers and more—which flips the concept of content warnings on its head to instead extol the benefits of reading as identified by children and young people through its research with social media tools available. 

The charity has also curated a range of free resources to help families, teachers and businesses encourage children’s reading.