The Value of Reading

“The enthusiasm of children for reading in their spare time has a bigger effect on their educational success than their families’ wealth and class,” states The Independent of London.


An international study of the reading habits of 1 5-year-olds found that “being more enthusiastic about reading” and being “a frequent reader” were a greater advantage than having well-educated parents in good jobs.


The study found that “15-year-olds from the most deprived backgrounds who were extremely enthusiastic readers scored higher in reading tests (an average of 540) than the children of the most high-status professionals who were uninterested in reading (491),” said the paper. A survey of over 1,000 teens found that “girls are much more likely to read for pleasure than boys.” Seventy five percent of girls compared with 55 percent of boys said that they had read a book in the past month.