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Raising readers in the wake of the pandemic


By Andrea Quincey, Director of Primary Literacy at Oxford University Press


In 2022, research by the National Literacy Trust revealed that fewer than half (47.8%) of children aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading for pleasure. This is the lowest figure recorded since 2005. We know how vital reading for pleasure is when it comes to children’s outcomes; it is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success according to OECD/Pisa research.


At Oxford University Press, we have been researching the issues and creating resources to support children’s reading and language development for decades, working with many leading educational experts as well as talented children’s authors and illustrators. Our ongoing research into the Word Gap, our market- leading support for phonics, our valued work on levelled reading books and our incredible range of children’s picture books, fiction, and non-fiction are just a few examples of our mission to improve language, literacy and reading for pleasure in action.


In the wake of the pandemic – which has disproportionately impacted children from disadvantaged backgrounds – we felt it was more important than ever to understand and overcome some of the barriers to reading for pleasure.


And so, in the autumn of 2022, we launched Raise a Reader: a three-year campaign that builds on our expertise and aims to provide children and young people – and the parents, carers, teachers and communities who support them – with the skills, opportunities, and inspiration they need to become lifelong readers in the wake of the pandemic.


04 What parents and children say


During the summer of 2022, we surveyed 2000 parents of children aged 3-11, over 300 primary school teachers, and more than 1000 children aged 7-11. We wanted to understand the barriers to reading for pleasure and where there might be opportunities.


Our research revealed some very positive attitudes towards reading and a good understanding of its broader benefits. Of the parents and carers surveyed:


• 86% said they believe reading will have a positive impact on their child’s academic success


• 80% stated that reading to their child improves the child’s wellbeing and mental health


• 80% said that they read with their child at least 2-3 times per week


• 73% agreed that children seeing them reading was a powerful motivator for them to read; parents who read regularly themselves reported that their children were also likely to be regular readers


However, unsurprisingly, not having enough time in the day was a significant obstacle, as was not being able to establish a regular reading routine. Over a quarter of children (28%) wished their parents read with them more often, while over half of parents (59%) wished they could read more with their children. Other challenges parents found included getting their children to concentrate while reading together and avoiding distractions from screens and gadgets.


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