A new report brings together a strong body of research that demonstrates the benefits of reading for pleasure.

Robust evidence

A quick internet search using the term “reading for pleasure” will bring up almost 39 million hits and a huge range of “evidence” and reports, however many of these are largely anecdotal and on closer inspection often lack robust evidence. Those of us who have been working for many years in the fields of reader development and literacy, know first-hand that reading for pleasure gives a person benefits far beyond just enjoying the book. However, in an increasingly data-led society, we require robust evidence to prove that which we already know.

In 2014, The Reading Agency received generous funding from the Peter Sowerby Foundation for a collaborative project to develop a reading outcomes framework. The main aim of the project was to collate and summarise only the most robust findings relating to non-literacy outcomes of reading for pleasure or empowerment*. The intent was to look at the wider outcomes of reading for pleasure, and not just those that related solely to literacy levels or education. A report and literature review was commissioned to look at the most recent evidence relating to the wider outcomes of recreational reading.*

Findings

A steering group was formed from the collaborative organisations and the report (conducted by BOP Consulting and funded by the Sowerby Trust) is now available. As Vice President of CILIP (the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) I was invited to be part of the steering group, and I am delighted to now be able to share this incredibly powerful report.

In short, the document shows clear evidence that reading for pleasure can increase empathy, improve relationships with others, reduce the symptoms of depression and dementia, and improve wellbeing throughout life.

The report surveys wide research into the effects of reading for pleasure on people of a range of age groups and requirements. Among the many benefits it finds are: improved social capital for children, young people and the general adult population; better parent-child communication and the reduction of depression and dementia symptoms among adults. 

One of the key findings of the report is the list of solid external outcomes to reading for pleasure amongst both adults and children, as well as people with specific needs. These outcomes include; greater knowledge of other cultures, improved social wellbeing, social relatedness and increased empathy. When we looked at the impact of reading for pleasure on people with increased health needs or issues, the report found that people who were reading for pleasure demonstrated better health literacy and were more able to cope with, and access, information related to their conditions. The report also found evidence of more personal outcomes in the field of adults with health needs, such as reduced depressive symptoms, reduced dementia symptoms, a greater sense of personal and social belonging, as well as general relaxation and escapism.

For children and young people the evidence showed that reading for pleasure not only increased educational attainment, but also had a beneficial effect on the enhancement of emotional vocabulary. Children and young people who read for pleasure were better able to communicate and demonstrated a greater level of emotional understanding of others. Children and young people who read for pleasure were consistently likely to achieve higher scores at school, but were also more likely to use positive mental self-imagery and generally used more positive vocabulary. It confirmed that children’s literature can be used as a model for analysing everyday emotional processes, and can support emotional development. This in turn demonstrates that reading for pleasure is an important way of combating issues such as social isolation, teenage depression, and social and educational disengagement.

Next steps

This report is a hugely useful document and a solid starting place for stimulating further research with more specific targets. The lack of singular medical research on the positive impact of recreational reading for people with neurological conditions, shows that there is a genuine need for these studies to be scaled up and specialised.

Another key finding of the report is that enjoyment of reading is a prerequisite for all these positive outcomes: people who choose to read, and enjoy doing so, in their spare time are more likely to reap all of these wider benefits. It is clear that negative attitudes towards reading for pleasure havea much wider negative impacton both the individual and society as a whole, and therefore it is essential that nationally we create a more positive attitude towards reading.

There is also a clear point here to be made about access to not only books, but to the professionals who are best able to choose the right material for the specific needs of their communities. These professionals will be the ones who act as literature and information guides, and they will be the ones who can support the members of their communities to engage fully with reading for pleasure. These people are, of course, librarians.

No one is better placed in their community to engage with the populous on reading for pleasure than a professional librarian. Be they public, prison, school, medical, specialist or academic librarians – all of our communities will be improved by having people within them with the right skills to do the job required, and with the right skills to support reading for pleasure.

This report is the first stage of a broader project, funded by the Peter Sowerby Foundation, and is designed to improve collaboration in evaluation across the reading sector. The Reading Agency, supported by the steering group, will use these findings to continue to the next phase of the project, and to develop a robust Reading Outcomes framework. The aim of this is to build greater understanding about the solid and measureable individual and societal benefits of reading for pleasure, to improve the quality of evidence available and broaden the reach of reading programmes, and to foster a greater sense and understanding of reading for pleasure.

*For the purposes of the report the phrases “reading for pleasure” and “recreational reading” are used interchangeably within the text. We defined this as “non-goal orientated transactions with texts as a way to spend time, and for entertainment.”

The term “reading for empowerment” is (for the purposes of this report) defined as “transactions with texts as a means of self-cultivation and self-development beyond literacy”. For example reading non-fiction material such as craft or self-help books.

Both terms were used to define reading for pleasure and empowerment in all formats and media.

Partners

The Reading Agency is creating the framework in collaboration with Arts Council England, Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians, Book Trust, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Education Endowment Foundation, National Literacy Trust, Publishers Association, Scottish Library and Information Council, Society of Authors and the Society of Chief Librarians. 

Read the report