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Get a life: Reading is key to future happiness
11 Sep 2008
National Literacy Trust findings, published today by the National Year of Reading, reveal that reading can reduce loneliness, dissatisfaction with life, and even cut chances of divorce. The Literacy Changes Lives report shows the effect literacy has on the nation’s happiness, particularly men’s, and demonstrates how reading is the route to a better quality of life.
The research reveals the serious personal implications of low literacy, and finds that men with poor literacy struggle to form lasting relationships and find happiness:
- More likely to lead solitary lives:
o 43 per cent live alone, compared to 30 per cent of men with good literacy skills
o 22 per cent still live with their parents, compared to 9 per cent of those with good literacy skills
- Less happy with their lives: only 50 per cent are ‘satisfied with life so far’, compared with 78 per cent of men with good literacy skills
- Aim low: 38 per cent have low career aspirations compared to 13 per cent of men with good literacy skills
Literacy Changes Lives was commissioned by the National Year of Reading and compiled by the National Literacy Trust in response to research which found that only a quarter (24 per cent) of parents recognised the link between reading and success in life. The report provides compelling evidence of the dangers of poor literacy, but also highlights the wide ranging benefits a personal investment in literacy can have on the outcomes of our personal and working lives.
Encouragingly, the report paints a profile of a literate family, which evidence shows is less likely to experience divorce and more likely to own a home and live in a working household. Literate families are also far more likely to be better paid, vote and enjoy better mental health while drinking and smoking less and contributing to a better skilled and more flexible workforce.
Honor Wilson Fletcher, Director for the National Year of Reading, said: “This brings into sharp focus just how critical a skill reading really is, whatever kind of life you want. Without it, you’re not only limiting your future earning power, but your chances, and your children’s chances, of leading fulfilled lives. All parents really need to see the powerful links between reading and success, not just in school but for every day of their lives, in order to break the cycle of poor literacy rates and the reduced life chances that seem to go hand in hand with them.”
For more information about the Year of Reading visit: www.yearofreading.org.uk
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Notes to editors
Literacy changes lives: an advocacy resource (Dugdale and Clark, September 2008). This research pulls together existing, national and international research that examines the impact of literacy on an individual’s life. Read the executive summary or the full report
The 2008 National Year of Reading (NYR) is being managed by The National Literacy Trust and lead partner The Reading Agency. Working with a consortium of partners, they have been allocated funds to establish a framework for delivering the campaign at a national and local level. A key priority is to develop a legacy which embeds reading, in all its forms, in our social culture and local authority planning and endures long beyond the end of the campaign itself. The NYR will promote reading as an enjoyable activity which is everywhere and is not just about books: it is about reading anything, anywhere at anytime.
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that changes lives through literacy. It links home, school and the wider community to inspire learners and create opportunities for everyone. The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, no. 1116260, and a company limited by guarantee, no. 5836486, Registered office: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL.
