Reading for pleasure can be a silver bullet for better life outcomes and is a powerful tool that can transform lives. Yet despite the immense benefits for both children and adults’ mental health and life outcomes, the habit of reading is in jeopardy.
The proportion of children who never read for enjoyment is rising across every age bracket, according to the National Literacy Trust. One in five children aged 11 to 13 now never pick up a book voluntarily. Parents are reading less frequently to their children, and are no longer modelling reading at home.
The campaign has three main aims:
- Pledge to read for pleasure for at least 10 minutes a day for six weeks
- Donate to Bookbanks to put books in the hands of those most in need
- Volunteer to read in schools with Coram Beanstalk
The campaign launches as new research reveals UK adults across all age categories are now more likely to read social media posts than any other reading format.
The survey of 4,000 UK adults by The Reading Agency and funded by Arts Council England, found that subtitles were the second most commonly read format for under 35s. Print books featured in the top three for those aged 35 and over as well as either digital articles or print media.
Adults spend eight full days and nights a year reading social media posts compared to six days reading a book. However, they were far more likely to “very much enjoy” reading print books than social media (45 per cent versus 23 per cent).
The benefits of taking time out to read are stark. The report also found that, compared to non-readers, those who read regularly are 45 per cent more likely to report sleeping well, 58 per cent more likely to report feeling generally happy, 35 per cent more likely to say they don’t feel lonely and 32 per cent more likely to say they don’t feel anxious or depressed.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), reading for pleasure has a greater impact on a child’s academic success than their socio-economic background.
Ben Taylor, editor of The Sunday Times, said: “The word crisis is overused by journalists. There is a reading crisis, however, and it is applicable to every generation. That is why The Sunday Times today launches our campaign to Get Britain Reading again.”
For the campaign The Sunday Times is partnering with two charities: Bookbanks and Coram Beanstalk. Bookbanks partners with food banks, creating weekly pop-up stalls of free books inside them.
