Yorkshire reading enjoyment crisis revealed by new research from leading charity working to improve literacy on the Yorkshire Coast
Children and young people’s enjoyment of reading in Yorkshire and the Humber is at crisis point, falling drastically in the last year alone, according to new research published today by the National Literacy Trust. Yorkshire and the Humber has experienced a sharp decline in reading enjoyment levels in 2024. Less than 2 in 5 (37%) children and young people in the region say they enjoy reading in their free time, a decline of 18% from the previous year [1].
The research shows that twice as many children and young people who enjoy reading in their free time have above average reading skills, compared to those who don’t (34.2% vs 15.7%). For the Yorkshire Coast, this comes at a time where children and young people’s reading skills are cause for concern, particularly for those from disadvantaged communities. Last year, 26% of 11-year-olds in North Yorkshire left primary school without the reading skills they need to learn and thrive, rising to 42% of those eligible for free school meals.
The research also revealed that when children and young people enjoy reading in their free time, they find it easier to relax (56.6%), feel happy (41%), learn new things (50.9%), understand the views of others (32.8%), learn about other cultures (32.4%) and be confident (26.0%) [3]. Concerningly, this means that across Yorkshire and the Humber, the 3 in 5 children and young people who don’t enjoy reading could be missing out.
The data also shows a worrying gender gap in reading for enjoyment; with fewer than 3 in 10 (28.2%) boys now saying they enjoy reading in their free time, compared with 4 in 10 (40.5%) girls. The overall gender gap in reading enjoyment has nearly tripled in the last year (from 4.8 to 12.3 percentage points).
These findings come from a national survey of more than 76,000 children and young people aged 5 to 18 across the UK. It recorded the lowest reading enjoyment levels since the charity first started surveying children about their reading 19 years ago, with a significant annual decline in every region of the country.
The National Literacy Trust has been working in communities on the Yorkshire Coast since 2018 to inspire a lifelong love of reading in local children. It delivers reading programmes in schools, gifts books to families across Scarborough, Whitby, and Filey and organises programmes of events like Storycraft Summer – a programme of summer activities designed to encourage primary school children to visit the library over the summer holidays.
This work is made possible by partnerships with local schools, business leaders and people across the community, all galvanised to tackle literacy issues. It has never been more important and the charity now calls on the government to make reading for pleasure a regional and national priority.
Helen Williams, Manager of the National Literacy Trust on the Yorkshire Coast, said: “It is vital that all children and young people have the opportunity to develop the literacy skills they need to get the most out of life. Every community faces different challenges, and we have made a long-term commitment to working closely with schools, families and local organisations on the Yorkshire Coast to reach children who need support the most.
“We know that when children enjoy reading they read more often, benefiting their reading skills, wellbeing, confidence and educational outcomes. We hope to empower 1.5million more children and young people across the UK to read for pleasure and develop the skills they need to shape their future.”
The National Literacy Trust is committing, over the next three years, to directly supporting and empowering 1.5 million more children and young people in the communities where it works, including throughout the Yorkshire Coast, to read for pleasure and develop greater confidence in their reading skills.It has also launched the #GrowAGenerationOfReaders social media campaign – backed by authors, charities, publishers and more – flipping the concept of content warnings on its head to instead extol the benefits of reading, as identified by children and young people through its research.The public are being urged to join the campaign, posting a photo of a book cover, captioned with its warning – for example: May Spark Joy, Could Build Confidence and High Wellbeing Factor. Free social media graphics are available: literacytrust.org.uk/reading-for-pleasure/social-media-assets
The National Literacy Trust has also curated a range of free resources to help families, teachers and businesses encourage children’s reading: literacytrust.org.uk/reading-for-pleasure