One in five children do not own any books of their own, according to latest NLT research

Almost one in five children between the ages of five and eight do not have a book of their own at home, according to the latest literacy survey by the National Literacy Trust (NLT), the highest figure since 2019. 

This is an increase of 1.9 percentage points since before the pandemic started. The charity said the issue is “considerably greater” in young boys, with 21% without a book, compared with 16% of girls. 

The rising cost of living is thought to be behind the increase, with nine in 10 parents (87%) saying they have less disposable income, and 64% reporting the amount of money they have to spend on books for their child has decreased. Just over half (51%) say books are simply too expensive now. Two-thirds of parents have slashed the amount they spend on books for their children and a third have even started selling books to raise money. The NLT said this highlights "having access to books at home could fast become a victim of the squeeze on family finances”.  

Despite this, 53% say books remain an essential item in their household shopping, and eight in 10 believe reading is essential to their child’s emotional development and happiness. The survey showed almost half (46%) of children believe reading makes them feel better when they are sad. Almost nine in 10 children said that they would be happy to get a book as a present (87.9%) and 46% of parents rate reading as one of their kids top three favourite activities.  

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, said: “Owning your own books is a crucial step in children reading more for pleasure, leading to increased literacy levels and improving a child’s life chances later on in life. Low literacy levels can hold you back at school, lock you out of the job market, affect your physical and mental health, and even your life expectancy.” 

The charity has partnered with McDonald’s this autumn to ensure as many children as possible can start the new school term with a book in their hand, and is donating 500,000 free books in four weeks to areas across the UK that need them the most. 

Michelle Graham-Clare, chief marketing officer at McDonald’s UK, said: “Our mission is to ensure all children, no matter their background, can access the joy of reading. Over the past 10 years we’ve given away over 140 million books to family customers in the communities we serve. This September, together with fantastic charity partners, we’re doing our best to ensure as many children as possible start school with a book in the home to spark that lifelong love of reading.” 

McDonald’s book donations include favourites such as the Little People Big Dreams series (Quarto), Hair Love (Puffin) and The BFG (Puffin). Books will be distributed via McDonald’s restaurants and charities such as NLT, Children in Need, Homestart and The Raheem Sterling Foundation. McDonald’s is also launching the Happy Readers Book Bus this year with a UK-wide tour of 18 cities to help distribute the books.