More than twice as many children in Guernsey read for pleasure than their counterparts in the UK, according to a new study.
The Guernsey Reading Survey spoke to more than 4,000 children about their reading habits.
It found 39% said they “read every day or almost every day outside of school”, compared to just 19% on the mainland.
Deputy Paul Montague, President of Education, Sport & Culture (ESC), said the results were “a testament to our teachers”.
He said: “Our survey demonstrates that we are ahead of England at the moment in terms of young people reading for pleasure.
“But we also know there’s more to be done… we need to build on that.”
Adult readers
The survey – which was organised by the Guille-Allès library – also found that 2/3 of the island’s adults read regularly – compared to half in the UK.
However, people said that busy lives and day-to-day distractions stopped them reading as much as they’d like.
70% said they’d read more if they had more time to themselves, while 35% thought cutting down on social media would leave more time for books.
Rarely see adults read
One worrying trend was the number of children who said they rarely saw adults reading – a whopping 70%.
Deputy Sarah Hansmann Rouxel, who sits on ESC, said it was important for adults to read books in front of children to “model” the habit.
“We spend so much time on our devices, but children can’t see if we’re reading an article or scrolling social media,” she explained.
“They need to see us holding a physical book, so they learn it’s normal.”
Deputy Montague said seeing talks from authors at events like the Guernsey Literary Festival could prompt people to take up reading again.
“Actually going to listen to an author to talk about their work is a really good way to [encourage people back into reading].
“We’re very lucky to have the library and the Literary Festival,” he added.
National Year of Reading
The survey results were published to coincide with the Guernsey launch of the National Year of Reading – a UK-wide initiative to encourage people to “rediscover the joy of reading”.
Cornelia James, Chief Librarian at the Guille-Allès Library, said: “The campaign’s tagline is ‘Go All In’, so if you’re into it, read into it.
“If you’re into football, read about that. If it’s gaming or baking, read about those.”
She said reading was also a more affordable form of entertainment than many other options.
“The price of books hasn’t risen as much as other items, and of course you can use the library for free.
“It’s about making it accessible – we’re not going to be snobby about what you’re reading, whether that’s books, magazines or audio books.”
Guernsey’s National Year of Reading is being delivered jointly by the Guille-Allès Library, the Guernsey Literary Festival, Guernsey Arts, Bright Beginnings, and the States of Guernsey.