Numbers of Children Reading in Free Time Hits Record Low: Literacy Survey

Children in a school in the United Kingdom on Sept. 12, 2018. PA

The number of children enjoying reading in their free time has hit record low, figures from the National Literacy Trust show.

Just one in three children (34.6 percent) said they enjoyed reading in their spare time, marking a 8.8 percent drop in the figures over the past year alone.

Slightly over 20 percent of respondents aged 8 to 18 years old said they read something daily in their free time, the lowest recorded level since 2005.

The figures prompted an urgent appeal by the National Literacy Trust that called on the government to put forward an action plan and address the declining rates.

The charity said that prioritising reading for pleasure a “national priority.”

“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 must now join forces—amplifying our reach and influence, strengthening our impact and re-imagining solutions to this complex crisis,” said Jonathan Douglas, the charity’s chief executive.

Looking into the reasons for the continued decline, the charity said that busy curriculum and high academic expectations leave little time and space for children to read for pleasure.

“It’s likely, too, that the recent pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated these challenges, with many children and young people struggling to access high-quality reading materials,” the survey said.

Gender, Age and Socio-Economic Gaps

The declining rates represent a challenge across the whole country, with some areas showing worse results than others.

The smallest percentage of children and young people who said that they enjoyed reading came from the South East, East Midlands and East of England.

Better numbers were recorded in West Midlands and Greater London, where more children said they enjoyed reading in their free time.

The survey also found gender and age gaps in the recorded responses by young readers.

More girls (40.5 percent) than boys (28.2 percent) said they like reading, with the gap nearly tripling between 2023 and 2024.

When it comes to reading frequency, the gender gap remained largely consistent with previous years.

However, the National Literacy Trust said that the percentage of boys reading daily was at by far the lowest level recorded, just 17.5 percent.

Analysis by age group showed a “particular crisis” for secondary school pupils.

Yearly figures for ages 8 to 11 dropped from 56.2 to 51.9 percent, while in older kids aged 11 to 14 the decrease was over twice as much.

Daily reading levels for 14-16-year-olds also dropped sharply, by 10.9 percentage points.

“The declining levels of reading enjoyment and reading frequency are, frankly, shocking and dispiriting,” the survey said.

It compared the reading enjoyment levels based on the children’s socioeconomic background and whether children received free school meals (FSM).

While recording a narrowing gap, the survey recorded a more pronounced decline in groups who don’t receive FSM.

‘Losing a Generation’

Over the next three years, the National Literacy Trust plans to support 1.5 million more children and young people from disadvantaged communities to read for pleasure.

This includes equipping parents and carers with resources to develop early language and literacy skills.

Responding to the survey findings, the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, said kids who don’t read for pleasure miss out on benefits like “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 nineteen 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,” he said.

In adults, the levels of reading also show lack of engagement.

The Reading Agency’s 2024 report found that only half of UK adults now regularly read for pleasure, down from 58 percent in 2015.

Lack of free time was listed as one of the strongest factors stopping people from reading.

Respondents also said they struggled with reading, couldn’t focus and spent too much time on social media.