Numbers of Children Reading in Free Time Hits Record Low: Literacy Survey

The number of children enjoying reading in their free time has hit record low, figures from the National Literacy Trust show. Just one in three children (34.6 percent) said they enjoyed reading in their spare time, marking a 8.8 percent drop in the figures over the past year alone. Slightly over 20 percent of respondents aged 8 to 18 years old said they read something daily in their free time, the lowest recorded level since 2005. The figures prompted an urgent appeal by the National Literacy Trust that called on the government to put forward an action plan and address the declining rates. The charity said that prioritising reading for pleasure a “national priority.”...