Publisher raises alarm after research shows 0-13s being read to daily drops to 32%.
Annual research from Egmont Publishing has revealed that the number of children being read to daily for pleasure has dropped again.
Egmont co-funds Nielsen Book Research’s annual Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer survey into the reading habits of UK children aged 0-17.
It revealed the latest findings at an industry conference yesterday (March 5), just ahead of World Book Day, a global celebration of reading for pleasure (which will take place on March 7).
Data shows that 32% of British children aged 0-13 are read to daily by an adult for pleasure, down 4% points since last year and 9% points since 2012.
It also reveals that most parents stop reading to their child by the age of eight. The publisher stressed that this steep decline signals a ‘significant threat’ to children’s wellbeing, with potential longer term social impact, and called for parents and the Government to take action.
Just 19% of 8-10s have books read to them by an adult daily, down 3% points since last year. The figure is lower for boys at 14% (24% of girls).
The data reveals a strong correlation between older children being read to and choosing to read independently for pleasure – 74% of 8-13s who are read too each day also read independently daily for pleasure, a figure which drops to 29% with children who are read to less than once a week.
The research also revealed that most parents are unaware of the impact of reading to an older child.
When asked what age children should be read to, in order to ensure they read for pleasure independently, 31% thought beyond the age of eight and 16% beyond the age of 10. One in four parents felt they need only read to their child until the age of four or under in order to encourage them to read for pleasure independently.
“Many parents confuse literacy with reading for pleasure, so it is seen as a task to complete rather than a joy to share,” said Alison David, consumer insight director at Egmont Publishing. “Reading to them throughout childhood reinforces the great pleasure of sharing a story; it creates quality time in hectic family schedules, close moments of parent-child bonding and, effectively, future-proofs a reading habit.”
To mark the release of the data, War Horse author Michael Morpurgo has written a celebratory poem in support of Egmont’s call to action.
He commented: “It is vital that children, young people and all of us have access to stories which give us the knowledge, empathy and understanding we need to negotiate life. But just as importantly, we need to give children and their teachers and parents time to read.”
Egmont also shared the results of a Stories and Choices school study it carried out at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy in Stoke-on-Trent to see whether daily teacher-led storytime sessions – purely for pleasure without testing – would inspire a greater love of reading in children.
Over a five-month period, teachers recorded a dramatic improvement in the children’s reading skills, as well as a significantly greater level of excitement around books, magazines and the reading process.
Children’s reading comprehension ages increased by an average of 10 months, twice as much as would normally be expected in the five-month timeframe, with some children progressing more than two years. Teachers also noted a profound improvement in children’s wellbeing.
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter.
