Reading for Pleasure

Children and young people's reading for enjoyment is at an all-time low

Our latest research which explores children and young people's reading for pleasure and daily reading habits reveals 2 in 3 children and young people don’t enjoy reading.

Our 2024 research report, taken from the results of our annual literacy survey of over 76,000 UK children and young people, records the worst levels in nearly 20 years.

Children and young people’s enjoyment of reading is at crisis point, falling drastically in the last year alone.

Why is reading for pleasure important?

When children and young people enjoy reading, they read more often, helping to build vital reading skills and bringing wider benefits for wellbeing, confidence and learning.

In fact, our research shows that twice as many children and young people who enjoy reading in their free time have above average reading skills than children who don’t enjoy it (34.2% vs 15.7%).

Therefore, reading for pleasure is an important mechanism to encourage reading frequency which in turn is more likely to foster and improve a child's reading skills - something which is of fundamental importance at a time when children and young people’s reading skills are cause for concern, particularly for those from disadvantaged communities.

If we are able to encourage a culture of reading for pleasure and create a daily reading habit, children are more likely to build the vital literacy skills they need to thrive.

There are many broader benefits that also come from a child's reading for enjoyment.

Our research demonstrated that children and young people who read in their free time at least once a month said it helps them:

All these attributes are significant for a child's development, wellbeing and future opportunities. Reading for pleasure and nurturing a love of reading in a child's free time is a tangible way to equip children with the reading skills they need to thrive in school and beyond, as well as empower them with the chance to discover new things, both about the world around them and people and cultures they may not yet know, and explore their sense of self.

What are we doing to support children to discover a love of reading?

Over the next three years, we are committed to directly support and empower 1.5 million more children and young people from disadvantaged communities to read for pleasure and develop greater confidence in their reading skills.

We are urging the government to form a reading taskforce and action plan with multi-sector partners – amplifying our collective reach and influence, strengthening our impact and re-imagining solutions to this complex crisis.

We will be expanding our current education programmes, offering high-quality reading for pleasure resources, and training opportunities for practitioners as well as increasing our community activities and family support around reading for pleasure.

Momentum continues with our existing campaigns, like Libraries for Primaries which will ensure every primary school in the UK has a dedicated library space by 2028 and will give access to inspiring reading opportunities to thousands more children.

But that is not all.

Together, we can play our part to grow a generation of readers and make sure no child is left behind.

How can you get involved?