United States

Research by ELC UK & Ireland and National Literacy Trust Shows Two in Five Girls Don’t Enjoy Reading

Press Release

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - More than 2 in 5 (44%) girls aged 8 to 18 say that they don’t enjoy reading, according to a new report(i), Forgotten Girls: The Reluctant Girl Readers, published today by the National Literacy Trust, with funding from Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland. The conversation around reluctant readers most often focuses on (re)engaging boys in reading, rarely considering girls, despite evidence indicating that this group is sizeable.

The report reveals:

  • 2 in 5 (44%) girls aged 8 to 18 don’t enjoy reading
  • 1 in 10 (10%) girls aged 8 to 18 don’t read at all in their free time
  • 1 in 5 (19%) girls aged 6 to 14 can be classed as struggling with their reading skill.

The charity is concerned that hundreds of thousands of girls aged 8 to 18 could be hindering their academic, social and economic prospects. A recent research report(ii) shows that reading for pleasure out of school is a major contributing factor to success at school and then in later life and is even linked to a higher lifetime earning potential.

The National Literacy Trust and Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland (ELC UK&I) extended their partnership in summer 2021 seeking to understand the root causes of low literacy engagement and skills and support better life prospects for children in the UK. Based on a survey of more than 21,000 girls and data from over 286,000 reading assessments(iii), this new research aims to highlight the significant number of girls with poor reading engagement and skills.

When compared with girls who do enjoy reading, the research also reveals that four times as many girls who don’t enjoy it say they can’t find things to read that interest them (44% vs 11%). Furthermore, only 1 in 6 (17%) of this group believe reading is ‘cool’.

Motivational issues, such as interests, play an influential role for girls who don’t read at all in their free time. Almost two-thirds (63%) of girls said they struggle to find reading material that matches their interests.

The research shows that greater diversity and more relatable characters in books are more of an issue for girls who don't enjoy reading. More girls who don't enjoy reading said that they find it difficult to find books with characters or people who are like them compared with girls who enjoy reading (39% vs 31%).

Fiona Evans, Director of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, said: “Much of the existing literacy research indicates that boys perform less well in reading and that they report lower reading enjoyment, but this report shows that girls’ reading performance is also an issue, and that the problem exists regardless of gender.

“This report unearths a serious potential crisis for reluctant girl readers across the UK who have the potential of being forgotten as the spotlight continues to shine on boys’ reading development only. It’s not too late to change the outcomes for this generation. The National Literacy Trust and our partners provide valuable support that both girls and boys need to support their reading engagement and skills.”

Sue Fox, President, The Estee Lauder Companies UK & Ireland, said: “As a female-founded company, we want every young woman and girl to fall in love with reading and obtain the necessary literacy skills they need to reach their full potential. It’s concerning that so many young women say they don’t enjoy reading. Today’s research highlights the need to do more to support reluctant girl readers and further strengthens our commitment to partnering with the National Literacy Trust to help to ensure that no girl gets left behind.”

The report also highlighted differences in the number of girls who don’t enjoy reading by geographic regions in England. The highest percentage of girls who don’t enjoy reading was found in Yorkshire and the Humber (51%) and the South East (48%). The regions with the lowest percentage of girls who don’t enjoy reading were the West Midlands (42%) and London (38%). For more information on the report and the partnership between National Literacy Trust and ELC UK&I, visit literacytrust.org.uk/forgottengirls.

-Ends-

For further information or to request an interview, please contact:

Anil Ranchod, Senior Media and Communications Manager at the National Literacy Trust, on [email protected], or 07969 984 001 (24 hours)

Notes to Editor

  1. Forgotten Girls: The Reluctant Girl Readers. London: National Literacy Trust. Picton, I., Clark, C., Riad, L., Cole, A. (2021).
  2. The power of reading for pleasure: Boosting children’s life chances. British Land and WPI Consulting (2021)
  3. Renaissance shared data from 286,240 girls, including information about reading engagement taken from their Accelerated Reader platform, and reading skill data from their Star Reading test. As schooling in the UK in 2020 was severely disrupted as a result of the pandemic, we used data from 2018/2019 to provide us with this additional insight.

About the National Literacy Trust

Our mission is to improve the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills of those who need it most, giving them the best possible chance of success in school, work and life. We run Literacy Hubs and campaigns in communities where low levels of literacy and social mobility are seriously impacting people’s lives. We support schools and early years settings to deliver outstanding literacy provision, and we campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians, businesses and parents.

Our research and analysis make us the leading authority on literacy and drive our interventions. Literacy is a vital element of action against poverty and our work changes children and young people’s life stories. Our new site Words for Life provides simple, fun and educational activities for children and young people aged 0-24 to support learning at home and help them feel more confident.

Visit literacytrust.org.uk to find out more, donate or sign up for our free email newsletter. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Estee Lauder Companies UK and Ireland

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers, marketers and sellers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in approximately 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, M·A·C, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin Paris, TOM FORD BEAUTY, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, KILIAN PARIS, Too Faced, Dr.Jart+, and the DECIEM family of brands, including The Ordinary and NIOD.

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