Pleasure reading in kids declines with age, Scholastic report finds

A new report released today from Scholastic corroborates the findings of the company’s 2006 report on children’s reading habits, finding that pleasure reading in children begins to decline at age eight and continues to do so into the teen years. The study found that a majority of children (68%) think it is “extremely” or “very” important to read for pleasure, and “like” or “love” doing so. However, that number decreases with age: 82% percent of children ages five to eight “like” or “love” reading, compared to 55% for children ages 15 to 17.

The 2008 Kids and Family Reading Report, conducted by TSC, a division of consumer trends research company Yankelovich, also found that although children can readily envision a future in which reading and technology are increasingly intertwined, nearly two-thirds prefer to read physical books, rather than on a computer screen or digital device. Read more about the report in Publishers Weekly online or see the full report on Scholastic's website.