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What gets children and young people reading?

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Teaching and learning
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The National Literacy Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey 2025 has shown another decline in reading enjoyment and the number of children and young people with a daily reading habit. Only 32.7% of children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time – a 36% decrease in reading enjoyment levels since the survey started in 2005. Not only will this impact on learning and literacy, but also on lifelong engagement with reading. 

So what helps those less enthusiastic readers get engaged? Findings include: reading that ties in with hobbies and interests, the film and TV they enjoy, and reading in a wide range of media and styles. Having choice matters too. 

Declining reading rates

Survey results into Children and young people's reading in 2025 show that reading enjoyment is at its lowest point in two decades. Over the last year, the decline has been most acute among primary-aged children and boys, particularly teenage boys. 

  • Just 1 in 3 (32.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 reported enjoying reading “very much” or “quite a lot” in 2025.
  • More girls than boys enjoy reading in their free time: 39.1% vs 25.7%.
  • Younger children (aged 5 to 11) enjoy reading more than 11-18 year olds…
  • But there’s been a drop of 5 percentage points in reading enjoyment for primary-aged children since last year. 
  • Just 1 in 5 (18.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they read something daily in their free time.  
  • Daily reading rates have dropped more steeply among boys than girls, widening the gender gap to 6.2 percentage points.
  • Pupils eligible for FSMs also saw a notable drop in daily reading, widening the gap to 3.6 percentage points. 

The report doesn’t really address WHY this is happening, or the obvious elephant in the room: competition from smartphones and instant access videos that don’t require an attention span of more than two minutes. And how often do children and young people see the adults in their life reading? Do they still view reading as an important skill and source of pleasure? 

Why do children and young people read? 

The report identifies three types of reader. 

  • Curious readers read to build knowledge and skills, such as learning new words or new things.
  • Mindful readers read for wellbeing, creativity and escapism. Reading might help them relax or feel happy.
  • Social readers read to connect with causes they care about, the world or other people. 

See pages 3-4 and 19-21 of the report for more detail. 

What encourages engagement in reading? 

The survey asked children and young people what would make them want to read. Their responses highlight the importance of relevance and autonomy in fostering reading engagement. 

Popular drivers of reading include: 

  • Reading material that ties into hobbies and interests
  • Reading material which ties into films and TV programmes 
  • Having choice over what they read
  • Eye-catching covers and visuals.

The report notes that ‘those who reported enjoying reading a bit were consistently more motivated by every listed factor than those who said they didn’t enjoy it at all..  This pattern indicates that even a small spark of enjoyment makes young readers more open to engagement, especially when reading is made relevant and familiar.’ (Page 24)

Different types of reading matter too: song lyrics, news stories, comics and fan fiction are all things that many children and young people choose to read in their free time (even for those who say they don’t enjoy reading). 

What’s less successful?

Social strategies came out as less successful, with book clubs at the bottom of the list. Recommendations from known people (e.g. friends, family or teachers) can be beneficial, but book influencers or just hearing people talk about reading doesn’t have so much impact. This suggests again that it’s personalised recommendations that count more. 

What can schools do?

  • Don’t limit views of reading to traditional print books. Be open-minded about all the different kinds of reading matter out there: graphic novels, songs, fan fiction and so on.
  • Offer both print and digital options.  
  • Find eye-catching covers and materials. 
  • Give children choice about what they read. 
  • Find out about pupils’ hobbies, interests, the things they’re watching – and offer reading matter that connects to that. 

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