Children say going to the library encourages them to read more
Parents who want to encourage their children to read more will be relieved to hear that it needn't cost them a penny.
In a Reading Agency survey of 1,110 children aged 4 -11 over a fifth (22%) selected visiting the library as the action most likely to make them want to read, compared to less than 2% saying that reading a book on an iPad or Kindle was the thing most likely to make them want to read. Only one in ten said that buying a book would be most likely to get them reading.
Visiting the library was the second most popular action with discovering an author that they like coming out top. Over a quarter of children selected this option. The third most popular action was taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge to read six books from their local library; this is the UK's biggest library reading challenge.
The research also found that parents play a vital role in encouraging their children to read. Over half (52%) of the children who took part in the survey run by the national charity, The Reading Agency, said that their parents were the people who most encouraged them to read.
Miranda McKearney, Director of The Reading Agency, commented on the results of the survey saying; "We know that children love iPads so it's intriguing that they are telling us that public libraries are far more powerful in encouraging them to read. I urge all parents to help their children discover the modern library's wonderful mix of inspiring reading activities and choice of books that no home library can rival."
The actions most likely to make a child want to read
| What most makes you want to read? | Percentage response |
|---|---|
| Finding an author I like and wanting to read other books they have written | 28.1% |
| Going to the library | 21.5% |
| Taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge | 15.6% |
| Someone giving me a new book | 9.6% |
| Someone telling me a book is good | 8.6% |
| Getting a reading book from school | 5.4% |
| Watching a film or TV programme based on a book | 3.1% |
| Meeting a writer in a school or library | 2% |
| Being in a reading group, or club, at my local library | 1.9% |
| Reading a book on an iPad or Kindle | 1.8% |
| Playing computer games about books | 1.6% |
| Being in a reading group or club at school | 0.8% |
In an online survey carried out between 4 August and 10 September 2012 on the Summer Reading Challenge website children were asked to select the option that most makes them want to read. 1,110 children aged 4 -11 years across the UK answered this question.
Media contact:
The Reading Agency - Mandy Pursey at FMcM Associates on 0207 405 7422 e-mail mandyp@fmcm.co.uk
