Comics are a diverse medium, growing steadily in popularity over recent years, and research highlights the potential for comics to improve comprehension and understanding in learners. This report by the National Literacy Trust looks at how children and young people aged 8 to 18 engage with comics.
The report highlights the importance of children and young people having access to a diverse range of reading materials, including comics.
Indeed, comics are a considerable part of the reading diet of many children and young people. When we asked children and young people aged 8 to 18 from across the UK about their reading habits as part of the Annual Literacy Survey in 2023, it was found that 2 in 5 (40.7%) read comics or graphic novels in their free time at least once a month.
The popularity of comics among children and young people is important as only 2 in 5 children enjoyed reading in their free time. This is the lowest level of reading enjoyment the Literacy Trust has recorded since it first began researching reading attitudes and habits in 2005.
This report draws on data collected in early 2023 from 64,066 children and young people aged 8 to 18 from across the UK to explore the attitudes and beliefs of comic readers.