ABS survey finds children are reading less

Children’s participation in reading for pleasure has dropped from 79% in 2017–18 to 72% in 2021–22, according to a survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The survey on cultural and creative activities found that of 72% of children who read for pleasure, 32% read for two hours or less per week and only 2% read for 20 hours or more per week.

More girls enjoyed reading for pleasure (77%) than boys (68%). Reading for pleasure was less popular with older age groups, with only 63% of children aged 12–14 reading books compared with 76% of children aged 5–8 years old.

Australian Capital Territory children had the highest participation rate in reading (83%), while children in Queensland had the lowest (67%). Children reading for pleasure declined from 2017–18 to 2021–22 in Western Australia (down from 79% to 71%) and Tasmania (86% to 75%).

Screen-based activities were more popular than reading for pleasure, with 90% of children aged 5–14 years spending at least one hour a week on screen-based activities. The percentage of children using screens remained the same compared with 2017–18, but the amount of time spent on screens has increased. Of those children using screens, 24% spent 20 hours or more per week undertaking screen-based activities, compared with 16% in 2017–18. While 40% spent 10 to 19 hours per week on screen based activities.

Children participating in any creative activity was 63% in 2017–18 and had fallen to 59% in 2021–22. Participation in creative writing has fallen from 23% to 19%. Creative activities were less popular for older children, with 55% of 12–14 year olds participating in a creative activity compared with 60% of 5–8 year olds. Creative activities were also more popular among girls (67%) compared with boys (52%).

‘Arts and crafts were the most popular creative activity among children, with 39 per cent of children participating at least once a week. This was followed by singing or playing musical instruments and creative writing, both with 19 per cent of children involved in these activities,’ said ABS head of education statistics Michelle Ducat.

Category: Local news