Report finds ‘shocking and dispiriting’ fall in children reading for pleasure
www.theguardian.com
National Literacy Trust finds only 35% of eight to 18-year-olds enjoy reading in their spare time, a sharp drop on last year to the lowest figure yet recorded

Summary

A National Literacy Trust (NLT) survey reveals that children’s enjoyment of reading is at its lowest in 19 years, with only 34.6% of eight- to 18-year-olds saying they enjoy reading in their free time.

This marks an 8.8 percentage point drop from last year, part of a declining trend since 2016.

Reading frequency has also hit a historic low, and a significant gender gap persists, with only 28.2% of boys versus 40.5% of girls enjoying reading.

The NLT calls for a government taskforce to address these declines, warning that “the futures of a generation are being put at risk.”

  • @FedegenerateEnglish
    1•4 hours ago

    Audiobooks, audiobooks, audiobooks. I read a lot as a kid/teen so maybe I have that going for me, but into my adult years and the invention of YouTube I didn’t read quite so much.

    Then audiobooks entered my life, 1 a month with audible is easy to achieve as bed time reading. Then I added them to chores. I’m un/fortunate enough to work a mindless job so I added them there too mixed in with music. Now I smash a couple books a week and still have an unhealthy YouTube habit.