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Would you like to read more?

02nd - 09th January 2026

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55232

Total votes

11019

5-11 votes

44213

11-16+ votes

As 2026 is the National Year of Reading, we wanted to ask young people for their thoughts on the activity, and whether it’s something they’d like to prioritise more over the coming year. The campaign is asking everyone to “Go all in”, with the Government also pledging £1,400 to all Secondary schools in England for libraries to buy more books for students. Despite this push, recent research conducted by the National Literacy Trust found that only 1 in 5 young people read something daily in their free time. It also found that around 1 in 10 young people don’t have a book at home. Given these findings, we were interested to hear young people’s thoughts on this Government-backed campaign and whether they would like to develop the habit of reading more regularly.

Primary 5-11, Secondary, College and 16+ students all discussed the question, "Would you like to read more?".

55,232 young people responded to this VoteTopic.

child

Age 5-11 voter

Yes, I would love to read more as it's an amazing opportunity to learn more and build a huge imagination.

teenager

Age 11-16 voter

Its about having time - forced reading stuff in school which we don't like. Reading Plus which doesn't always interest us. Would like time to read whatever we want.

student

Age 11-16 voter

I do lots of sports outside of school and I can't fit reading in. I won't have time to sleep if I read too. I'd rather do sports than read.

66% of those aged 5-11 said they'd like to prioritise reading more over the coming year.

  • All voters were asked the same question for this VoteTopic: "Would you like to read more?"
  • The majority of Primary pupils felt positively about reading, and wanted to spend more time doing it.
  • 66% voted 'Yes', with many saying it makes them more creative.
70% of Secondary students said they didn't want to read more.

  • Conversely, 70% of Secondary students voted 'No', with many arguing they don't have enough time to spend reading more.
  • A smaller number of students said they already read a lot.
  • 58% of 16+ & College voters said they would like to read more, which suggests teenagers fall out of love with reading after Primary school but often want to pick it up again when they leave Year 11.
Many said they find reading unenjoyable at school because they don't get to choose when or what to read.

  • Many students, particularly at a Secondary level, said reading lost its appeal because they are told what and when to read at school.
  • Some called for greater freedom when it comes to choosing what material to read.