By Megan Levick and Lily Barry. Featured image: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels
“The decline in children reading for pleasure is deeply concerning, as it touches not only on literacy but also on creativity, empathy, and critical thinking.”
Publishers and academics are urging the government to ensure every school has a dedicated reading space for children, following a stark report by the National Literacy Trust highlighting a decline in reading for pleasure among young people.
The Trust’s Annual Literacy Survey, based on responses from 76,131 children and young people aged 8 to 18, reveals that daily reading habits are at their lowest levels since records began in 2005. Just one in five respondents said they read daily in their free time, a trend attributed to a mix of educational and socioeconomic factors.
Budget cuts to libraries have exacerbated the problem. According to The Bookseller, more than 800 libraries have closed over the past 14 years, with funding slashed by 53% during the same period.
Speaking at The Bookseller’s Children’s Conference in September, Rebecca McNally, Publishing Director at Bloomsbury, expressed concern about the impact of these closures on children’s literacy. “One in seven primary schools doesn’t have a dedicated library space,” she noted, emphasising the urgent need for action.
McNally also urged the audience to “support the campaign to prioritise reading for pleasure – and to ensure that access to the benefits of books and reading doesn’t become the exclusive preserve of the privileged.”
Educators, publishers, libraries, schools and charities are working to make reading for pleasure a priority by continuing to develop resources designed to rekindle young people’s love for literature. The National Literacy Trust are continuing to advocate for government support to boost these figures, urging them to form a “reading task force and action plan”. The Trust hopes this initiative will “prioritise reading for pleasure alongside the skills that are vital in the development of confident, motivated readers” as part of its curriculum assessment review.
Debbie Williams, programme leader for the Publishing MA at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “The decline in children reading for pleasure is deeply concerning, as it touches not only on literacy but also on creativity, empathy, and critical thinking – skills that are foundational for thriving in a complex world.”
Williams added: “The National Literacy Trust’s findings highlight the urgent need to make books more accessible and relatable to young readers, while also addressing the broader cultural shift toward digital distractions. To inspire a love for reading, we must prioritise diverse and inclusive stories that reflect the realities and aspirations of today’s children.
“Encouraging reading habits through engaging activities, supportive schools, and community initiatives can help us turn the tide and reignite the joy of getting lost in a book.”
The book industry has created an open letter supported by the Publishers Association, calling on the government to prioritise the role of reading for pleasure and asking them to create a national reading for pleasure plan. You can sign the open letter here.
Read the National Literacy Trust’s full report here.
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