Children's and Young People's Reading Habits and Preferences: The who, what, why, where and when
In June and July 2005, the National Literacy Trust surveyed over 8,000 children from 98 schools in England. All schools were part of Reading Connects, an initiative run by the National Literacy Trust with funding from the then Department for Education and Skills. Reading Connects works to help schools develop a reading culture.
This report explores why some pupils choose to read for pleasure and others do not. The research literature shows that reading for pleasure benefits children in numerous ways. Yet, research also shows that their reading enjoyment may be declining. The aim of the survey was to support parents, teachers and other literacy professionals in promoting wider reading. Overall findings are presented, along with analysis by gender, age, uptake of free school meals and level of enthusiasm for reading. The report then recommends some approaches that might help schools to promote reading for pleasure - many more are available on the Reading Connects website.
Download the full report below. We have also produced an executive summary (pdf) of our findings.
Download this file
