Scholastic India, part of the global children’s publishing, education and media company Scholastic Inc released the findings of its first-ever Kids & Family Reading Report, India edition, a national survey of Indian children aged 6-17 years and their parents, plus parents of children aged 0-5, aimed at exploring attitudes and behaviours around reading books for fun.
The survey reveals that 86 per cent of children aged 6-17 years agree that ‘my favourite books are the ones that I have picked out myself’. Eighty-eight per cent of boys and 86 per cent of girls equally agree, ‘I would read more if I could find more books that I like’. The majority of children, 81 per cent, in this critical age group enjoy reading books for fun and more than three-quarters, 77 per cent, of children believe reading books for fun is extremely or very important. While the report also shares that 92 per cent of children are reading books for fun at least once a week, only 32 per cent are reading 5-7 days a week.
The survey was conducted among 1,752 parents and children, including 350 parents of children aged 0-5; 701 parents of children aged 6-17; plus one child aged 6-17 from the same household. All data presented in the peport represent the country’s English-speaking population with access to the Internet.
Parents play a huge role in seeding the love for reading. One of the most powerful predictors of reading in children aged 6-17 is being read to by parents 5-7 days a week. Across all ages, 85 per cent of children love being read to aloud, and among kids aged 6-11 whose parents have stopped reading aloud to them, more than half, 57 per cent, wish their parents had continued.
Parents of children aged 0-5 shared that the top benefit they want for their child when they read books for fun is development of vocabulary and language skills. Similarly, these parents primarily start reading aloud to their children to help them learn about letters and words. Half of the parents surveyed with 0-5 year-olds received the advice that children should be read books aloud from birth, most commonly from their child’s grandparents. Overall, only 27 per cent of parents started reading aloud to their children before age one, and 60 per cent began reading books aloud to their child at two years or older.
The survey findings show that children who are given time for independent reading at school are more likely to be frequent readers, yet only half of children aged 6-17 have the opportunity to do so as a class or school. Only 11 per cent read a book of their choice independently every school day. Nearly three-quarters of children express positive feelings about independent reading time at school and more than four in 10, 45 per cent, feel that reading time is one of their favourite parts of the school day. The report also revealed that while 53 per cent of children aged 6-17 years read books for fun mostly out of school, an additional 32 per cent read at home and school about equally, and 13 per cent read for fun mostly in school.
As e-books are becoming more accessible, the report finds that 64 per cent of children 6-17 years have read an e-book and among children who have not read an e-book, six in 10 express an interest in reading ebooks. Yet the survey indicates that despite the embrace of e-books, more than four in 10 children, 44 per cent, who have read an e-book prefer to read print books. Around 80 per cent children agree that they will want to read print books, even if e-books are available. Most e-book reading is done at home; 54 per cent of children read them at home, followed by 18 per cent who read at the library; 15 per cent at school and at a friend’s house.
Speaking about the findings, Neeraj Jain, MD, Scholastic India said: “The love of reading books can transform a child’s prospects and the findings underscores the importance of reading for pleasure and providing insight into how we can encourage more children to read frequently. We believe in the power of choice and motivate children to read their choice of books because it helps develop a love for reading as well as expand their knowledge and vocabulary.”