Scholastic
“Kids & Family Reading Report” Reveals Young Readers Face Challenges In Finding
Their Stories
Scholastic:
3.14.2019
Scholastic,
the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today released
results from the seventh edition of its Kids &
Family Reading Report™, a biennial national survey of parents’ and
children’s reading attitudes and behaviors. Those surveyed include more than
1,000 pairs of children ages 6–17 and their parents, as well as 678 parents of
kids ages 0–5.
The
research reveals the diversity parents and children seek in books, explores how
reading helps children understand their world and indicates the importance of
book access and reading role models.
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“What
is striking in this year’s report, however, is how many children are losing
their connection to books and reading at a relatively early age. If we are to
turn around the decline in children’s reading frequency at age 8 and 9, and
reignite their love for reading, we must continue the critical work of
connecting kids with stories that spark their innate curiosity, in whatever
format they prefer.”
Finding
Their Story: A Precarious “Decline by Nine”
The
study found the percentage of kids defined as frequent readers (reading books
for fun 5–7 days a week) drops from 57% among 8-year-olds to 35% among
9-year-olds. The data also shows a drop between ages eight and nine in the
number of kids who say they love reading (from 40% to 28%), as well as the
percentage of kids who think reading books for fun is important (from 65% to
57%).
The Kids
& Family Reading Report has shown a child’s attitude towards reading
enjoyment and importance is a predictor of reading frequency, which makes the
trends in this year’s report so striking.
Reading
helps kids navigate the world. The vast majority of parents (88%) believe
that reading fiction and nonfiction is a good way for their child to better
understand the world. Three in four children agree. More than half of kids
(53%) and parents (55%) also agree a book has helped them or their child
through a difficult time. Nevertheless, the data cited above shows that a young
reader’s journey is at risk.
➤ 58% say they love or like reading books for fun.
➤ 52% agree reading books for fun is extremely or very important.
➤ 31% read books for fun 5–7 days a week (known as frequent readers);
➤ 41%
of kids read for fun 1–4 days a week (known as moderately frequent readers); ➤ ➤ 28% of kids read for fun less than 1 day a week (known as infrequent readers).
➤ 74% of kids say that reading fiction and nonfiction is a way to help them understand
the world; 88% of parents say the same.
➤ More than half of kids (53%) and parents (55%) agree a book has helped
them/their child through a difficult time.
➤ 73% of kids say that reading about current events make it easier to talk about
or understand them.
Finding
Their Story: Diversity in Children’s Books in Demand
The
survey underscores the importance of diversity and how broadly it is defined. A
majority of parents and a near majority of kids ages 9–17 say diversity in
children’s books includes people and experiences different than their own –
representations of various cultures, customs, religions, settings and living
situations. For others, diversity in children’s books includes
differently-abled people, people of color and LGBTQ people.
Many
want diversity in books. About half of kids ages 9–17 and parents with
kids ages 6–17 agree “I wish there were more books available that include
diversity;” among kids and parents who agree that diversity in children’s books
is important, these percentages rise to 76% of kids and 69% of parents. Black
and Hispanic families overall have the strongest views on the importance of and
need for books with diversity.
Demand
is on the rise. Kids ages 12–17 and parents of children of all ages are
more likely today than they were in 2016 to want books that include diverse
storylines, characters or settings (18% of kids, up five points; 31% of parents
with kids ages 6–17, up five points; parents of children ages 5 and under up 9
points to 36%).
Characters
build character. This year’s survey asked parents to prioritize the
qualities they hope their children develop. Responsibility, self-confidence,
honesty, respectfulness and kindness top the list. Parents know that
cultivating these qualities can be challenging, and they overwhelmingly believe
reading can help: 95% agree that characters in books can help inspire the
development of these qualities in their child.
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Finding
Their Story: Access matters
The
report shows clear parallels between access to books and reading role models
and kids’ reading frequency.
Kids
need help finding books. While four in 10 kids agree that they have
trouble finding books that they like, this is far higher among infrequent
readers than frequent readers (59% vs. 32%) and is true of roughly half of kids
by age nine.
Reading
role models show kids the way. Frequent readers are more likely to be
surrounded by people who they perceive to enjoy reading: 82% say a lot or
nearly everyone they know enjoys reading, versus infrequent readers at 34%. And
much like reading frequency, there’s a clear decline as children age: 77% of
kids ages 6–8 say a lot or nearly everyone they know enjoys reading, but this
drops as children age to 48% among 15–17 year-olds.
Books
at home and in the classroom provide access. Frequent readers have an
average of 139 books for children in their homes vs. 74 in infrequent readers’
homes. In school, classroom libraries are only available for 43% of school-aged
children and only one-third say they have a classroom library that has enough
of the types of books they'd like to read.
When
kids choose, kids read. Regardless of reading frequency or children’s
ages, the majority of kids (89%) agree their favorite books are the ones that
they have picked out themselves. READ
MORE >>
Children
Kids
and Family Reading Report, Scholastic
Kids
Count Data Center, Annie
E. Casey Foundation
National/State
Report Cards – Reading, NCES
State
of Preschool, NIEER
2018
Education
Leader’s Guide to Reading Growth, Renaissance
READ•FOR•SUCCESS:
Combating the Summer Learning Slide in America, RIF
2009:
Developing Early Literacy, National Early
Literacy Panel - NIFL
2003: The
Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3, American
Educator
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