HarperCollins UK have revealed compelling new research to understand children’s increasing disengagement with reading, with fewer than half of under four-year-olds read to frequently. 

The Research Results

Only 32% of five-to-10-year-olds frequently choose to read for enjoyment, down from 55% in 2012.

"One of the most striking findings was that, despite reading aloud to children being a proven way to boost their enjoyment of reading, the number of parents reading aloud to children is at an all-time low," the publisher said. Fewer than half (41%) of 0-to-four-year-olds are read to frequently, “a steep decline” from 64% in 2012, HarperCollins said. The report also highlighted that boys and girls are treated differently, with only 29% of 0-to-two-year-old boys read to "every day/nearly every day", compared to 44% of girls in the same age group. Only 36% of five-to-seven and 22% of eight-to-10-year-olds are read to regularly at home, according to the data of almost 2,000 people.

Why Parents Aren't Reading to Their Children

The research also revealed that many parents do not find enjoyment in reading to their children, with only 40% of parents saying it is “fun for me”. Parents face increasing pressures, with 34% of parents of 0-to-13s wishing they had more time to read to their children. Since 2012, there has also been a sharp increase in the number of parents reporting that children have too much schoolwork to read books, 49% in 2024 compared to 25% in 2012 for parents of five-to-13s.

The Benefit of Reading to Your Child

Alison David, consumer insight director at Farshore and HarperCollins Children’s Books, said: “Being read to makes reading fun for children. So, it’s very concerning that many children are growing up without a happy reading culture at home. It means they are more likely to associate reading with schoolwork, something they are tested on and can do well or badly, not something they could enjoy. The good news is when children are read to frequently, they very quickly come to love it and become motivated to read themselves. Children who are read to daily are almost three times as likely to choose to read independently compared to children who are only read to weekly at home. It’s never too late to start, or resume, reading with children.”

Generational Attitudes to Reading

Attitudes towards reading are changing, with parents increasingly aligning their children’s reading with schoolwork rather than something fun to enjoy, HarperCollins said. This is particularly pronounced among Gen Z parents, where almost one in three (28%) see reading as “more a subject to learn”, compared to one in five (21%) of Gen X parents. As the first generation to grow up with technology, Gen Z parents may turn to digital entertainment for fun rather than books.

Is reading something to learn rather than enjoy?

The publisher said that the declining number of parents reading aloud to children, combined with the pressure associated with reading as something to learn rather than enjoy, may be contributing factors to the shift in how young people view reading. Last year almost one in three children aged five-to-13 said reading is “more a subject to learn than a fun thing to do”, a significant rise from one in four (25%) in 2012. This is most pronounced among 11-to-13s, 35% of whom think reading is “more a subject to learn than a fun thing to do”.

Despite the focus on reading for pleasure within the Department for Education’s 2023 Reading Framework, children still feel pressure around reading. In 2024 only 24% of children aged five-to-10 had a daily story time reading session at school, where the class are read to by the teacher for fun and relaxation, down from 29% in 2023.

Social Reading Spaces

HarperCollins also cited Social Reading Spaces, which it ran in collaboration with the School Library Association, conducted over 10 weeks between October 2024 and February 2025, trialling an innovative new approach to book clubs. Seventeen school libraries across the UK, from the Shetlands to Torquay, ran social book clubs with no expectation or pressure to read, instead fostering conversations and book talk in a relaxed and pressure-free setting. HarperCollins said the scheme was for many "transformational", helping to boost reading ages among other outcomes.

Cally Poplak, MD and executive publisher at Farshore and HarperCollins Children’s Books, said: “Until now, our research has focused on early years and primary-age children but the growing number of adolescents who have no experience of reading as a pleasurable, sociable activity made us want to understand whether we could convert the most reluctant. The responses from the children who participated have been incredibly powerful.”

Victoria Dilly, CEO at the School Library Association, said: "This has been an important and timely collaboration. Encouraging positive interactions in and around books is key to unlocking barriers and helping young people engage with books and reading… As the evidence shows, the value of investing in and actively using school libraries and school librarians as a route to develop reading communities cannot be underestimated. Investment in resources, alongside dedicated time to talk about and discover books not only positively impacts reading ability but also social connections and well-being."

The Basis for the Research

The research was based partly on NielsenIQ BookData’s 2024 Understanding the UK Children’s Book Consumer survey, which was completed in December 2024 with a nationally representative sample size, with 1,596 parents of children 0-to-13, and 420 14-to-17-year-olds. As part of this new research, HarperCollins Children’s Books and Farshore commissioned their own proprietary questions, providing unique insights into reading for pleasure.

How Can LoveReading4Kids Help the Crisis in Reading Enjoyment?

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