This report by the National Literacy Trust outlines findings from a survey of 3, 057 parents of children aged from birth to 18-years-old, exploring the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children’s access to books and educational devices at home.
The cost-of-living crisis is affecting household finances across income brackets, with many parents and carers struggling financially under the current circumstances.
In early 2023, 85.6% of parents1 reported being worried about the cost-of-living crisis, and, as a consequence, they cut back on energy, food, gas and electricity. While parents recognised the many benefits of reading for their children’s learning and well-being, household budgets were under pressure: 1 in 5 (20.0%) were buying fewer books for their children, especially those families who told us that they were struggling financially as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, with 1 in 3 (36.1%) saying this. Around 1 in 10 parents also felt too busy (12.4%) or stressed (10.3%) to engage with their children’s literacy at home.
At the same time, a quarter of parents said they were relying more on libraries, such as borrowing more books from the library (25.8%) or asking their children to borrow more books from their school library (25.5%). Indeed, school libraries were valued by the vast majority (92.3%) of parents from all financial backgrounds, suggesting that these libraries can play a vital role in mitigating any impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children and young people’s reading and learning.
Key Findings:
- The cost-of-living crisis is affecting household finances across income brackets, with many parents and carers struggling financially under the current circumstances
- 91.9% of parents said they had noticed that their household’s cost of living had increased in the past 12 months. 2 in 5 (40.0%) said that they were now finding it difficult to cope with rising costs.
- Parents said they were buying fewer books and educational devices for their children as a result of the cost-of-living crisis
- 1 in 5 (20%) parents said they were buying fewer books for their children, increasing to 1 in 3 (36.1%) of those who were struggling financially as a result of the cost-of-living crisis
- A quarter of parents (24.8%) reported spending less on educational devices, increasing to 2 in 5 (42.9%) for those who were struggling financially
- Parents value the many benefits of reading for their children’s learning and well-being but some now feel to stressed to engage with their child’s literacy at home
- 4 in 5 (81.3%) parents said their child enjoys reading, and 3 in 5 (59.5%) said it helped their child relax
- However, 2 in 5 (40.9%) said there was no quiet space for their child to read at home, while 1 in 10 parents also said they felt too busy (12.4%) or stressed (10.3%) to engage with their child’s literacy at home
- Many parents report borrowing more books and asking children to borrow more books from their school library. School libraries were valued by parents from all financial backgrounds
- Nearly 3 in 10 (28.2%) parents said they were borrowing more children’s books from the library, and 1 in 4 (25.5%) that they were asking their child to borrow more books from the school library.
- More than 9 in 10 (92.3%) parents said it was important that their child had access to a good school library, with parents from all financial backgrounds equally likely to say this.