Summary
A National Literacy Trust (NLT) survey reveals that children’s enjoyment of reading is at its lowest in 19 years, with only 34.6% of eight- to 18-year-olds saying they enjoy reading in their free time.
This marks an 8.8 percentage point drop from last year, part of a declining trend since 2016.
Reading frequency has also hit a historic low, and a significant gender gap persists, with only 28.2% of boys versus 40.5% of girls enjoying reading.
The NLT calls for a government taskforce to address these declines, warning that “the futures of a generation are being put at risk.”
Reading fiction is something I can only do when I’m calm, relaxed and have no worries. That is not a state I have experienced for like thirty years.
Maybe if we raised children in a world that wasn’t a complete dumpster fire they would be able to read for hours at a time.
Christ. This rings true.
I tried to read fiction. hell, I even tried to read fiction I read 20 years ago.
I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t focus on the story.
I read Isekai manga now, and I’m waiting for the sweet release of death to take me to another world where I don’t have to put up with this bullshit.
I just want a nice quiet existence with one, maybe two, cat girls and go on fun adventures to hot springs with them. maybe farm a bit, build a small village.
no phones, no computers, no bullshit fascist fuck heads trying to rule the world.
I feel you. Wish I had some words of encouragement or something but the fact is, we live in clown world.