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The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Children's reading enjoyment falls to lowest recorded level in UK
Reading enjoyment among children and young people in the UK has fallen to its lowest level in two decades, with the decline particularly pronounced in teenage boys, according to new research. While the past year saw boys' reading enjoyment fall across most age groups – particularly among those aged 11 to 16 – girls' enjoyment remained relatively stable or slightly improved. The National Literacy Trust surveyed 114,970 children and young people aged five to 18 from UK schools about their reading habits as part of its Annual Literacy Survey. Of girls aged eight to 18, 39.1% said they enjoyed reading in their free time, compared with 25.7% of boys. Girls were more likely to report reading for wellbeing and emotional support than boys, while boys and girls reported reading for curiosity purposes at similar levels. Just one in three (32.7%) eight- to 18-year-olds reported enjoying reading 'very much' or 'quite a lot' this year. The 20 years since the survey began have seen a 36% fall in the number of children and young people who say they enjoy reading in their spare time. Meanwhile, the number of eight- to 18-year-olds who report reading something daily in their free time has halved in the last two decades, from 38.1% to 18.7%. 'This year's data is once again stark,' said NLT CEO Jonathan Douglas. 'We are witnessing the lowest levels of reading enjoyment and daily reading in a generation – a critical challenge for literacy, wellbeing and life chances. Children's futures are being put at risk and joining forces across sectors to address the reading for pleasure crisis is essential'. However, the research 'also offers hope', he said. Of those who do not enjoy reading, 38.1% said that they were more motivated to read when the material relates to a favourite film or TV series, while 37.1% said they would be motivated by finding books that match their interests or hobbies. 'This suggests linking reading text more explicitly to other media, particularly visual media, and emphasising how reading can help you to explore personal interests could support greater reading engagement in this group,' reads the report. 'Young people are still motivated to read when it connects to their interests, when they have choice, and when it feels relevant to their lives. We must meet young readers where they are' in order to 'reignite a love of reading', Douglas added. Of those with the lowest reading enjoyment levels, 30.9% said they were motivated to read by seeing an interesting book cover or title. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Participating in a book club or group discussion was rated the least motivating factor by children who reported not enjoying reading, with just 2.7% saying a group would motivate them to read. These results challenge 'some long-held assumptions about how to build a culture of reading', states the report. 'While these strategies may benefit avid readers, they may do little for those on the margins of literacy engagement.' Differences in reading enjoyment between children based on socioeconomic background was 'minimal'. Of eight- to 18-year-olds who do not receive free school meals, 33% reported enjoying reading in their free time, compared with 31% who do receive them. Geographical differences did emerge, with 33.2% of eight- to 18-year-olds in England reporting enjoying reading in their free time, compared with 25.5% in Wales, 30.3% in Scotland, and 28.9% in Northern Ireland.
Euronews
25-02-2025
- General
- Euronews
UK literacy charity wants audiobooks on national school curriculum
A new study by the National Literacy Trust (NLT), a charity that campaigns for higher literacy across the UK, has found that a significant percentage of children now consume literature through audiobooks. For the first time since the NLT started surveying listening habits, more children said they preferred listening to books (42.3%) over reading them (34.6%). The Annual Literacy Survey of children's reading habits, run since 2010, surveyed children in England, Wales and Scotland from ages five to over 16s. Of the 66,008 children who took part, 42.3% (or 37,893) said they listened to audiobooks in their free time. Although it's only a slight increase on the 2023 findings, it is a significant figure for the NLT as they found the lowest number of children reading for pleasure since 2019. Just over a third of children said they enjoyed reading in their free time. Around half of listeners said that they found audiobooks were a good way to 'relax or feel better when stressed or anxious' (52.0%) and that the format made it easier to understand the story (48.4%). Encouragingly, half of these respondents (52.9%) also said that they found they used their imaginations more when listening to audiobooks. A similar number also said that audiobooks encouraged them to enjoy reading in their free time. Across gender, slightly more boys than girls (43.4% vs 40.4%) said they listen to audiobooks, which is a far narrower gender gap than in reading (28.2% boys vs 40.5% girls) and writing (22.1% boys vs 34.6% girls). Enjoyment of audiobooks was also measured across those who take part in the free school meals initiative. Slightly more children on free school meals listened to audiobooks than children who don't use the scheme (43.6% vs 41.7%). On the results, the NLT has said that 'children and young people's levels of reading and writing enjoyment are in crisis, with quite dramatic decreases in levels of both over the last year alone.' However, 'listening enjoyment has remained relatively steady' which has led to it overtaking reading for the first time. As a result, the NLT is campaigning for audiobooks to be included more in the national curriculum to encourage reading. Jonathan Douglas, the NLT's chief executive said: 'By working together to leverage children and young people's enthusiasm for audio, we can play an important role in growing a generation of readers and turning the page on the nation's reading for pleasure crisis.'
The Guardian
25-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Ministers urged to add audiobooks to England's new schools curriculum
The government has been urged to include audiobooks in the new schools curriculum in England, after research showed fewer children were reading books for pleasure and more were listening to them instead. A poll by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) found that children's enjoyment of listening to audio and podcasts had risen compared with the previous year, overtaking their enjoyment of reading for the first time since the charity began asking about audio in 2020. More than two in five (42.3%) of the 37,000 children and young people aged between 8 and 18 in the UK who took part in the poll said they enjoyed listening to audio in their free time in 2024, up from 39.4% in 2023. As audio increases in popularity, reading for pleasure has fallen to 'crisis' levels, according to the NLT, with just over one-third of children (34.6%) saying they enjoyed reading in their free time. Boys were particularly disenchanted with books, resulting in a 28.2% v 40.5% gender gap. With audio, however, more boys (43.4%) than girls (40.4%) said they enjoyed listening, and the NLT said it hoped audiobooks and podcasts could offer a gateway into reading for pleasure both for boys and girls. The charity said it was therefore 'advocating for increased access to, and a broadening of, the variety of reading formats available to pupils to include audio'. 'In recent years, we've seen a steady rise in children's enjoyment of listening to audio and uncovered the myriad of benefits it can bring – from sparking a love of reading and supporting literacy development, to deepening learning and boosting wellbeing,' said Jonathan Douglas, the NLT's chief executive. 'By working together to leverage children and young people's enthusiasm for audio, we can play an important role in growing a generation of readers and turning the page on the nation's reading for pleasure crisis.' However, John Mullan, a professor of English at University College London, argued that audiobooks were no substitute for reading. He said: 'I'm not against audiobooks. I listen to them myself and my children certainly listen to them. 'But it's something very different from having your parents read a book to you, which I think is a really, really good thing if at all possible. An audiobook is unresponsive and implacable. There's no possible exchange or rapport, however brilliantly read it is.' He said there was a difference between reading, which he described as animating, and listening, which is passive. 'It does not mean it can't be a portal to a love of books; of course it can. Listening to an audiobook is better than not having any interest in a work of fiction at all, but I don't think it's a substitute.' The children's commissioner for England and former headteacher Rachel de Souza agreed: 'I love listening to audiobooks. If that gives kids access to great literature, I'm going to support it. 'There's certainly a place for audiobooks, but I don't think they should replace reading the real thing. There's something so special about that, I think.' The government is due to publish an interim report on its curriculum and assessment review imminently. Sarah Hannafin, the head of policy at the NAHT school leaders' union, said more should be done to support the literacy skills that children needed to navigate through life. 'In English this must include developing a love of reading, and harnessing children and young people's enjoyment of listening is one way that can, and should, be encouraged.' Julie McCulloch, the director of strategy and policy at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'There is certainly potential in using audio formats to encourage a love of reading alongside all the things that schools are doing to teach children to read and write, and access great books.'
