Lockdown could lead to more children reading books, the National Literacy Trust claims
Lockdown could lead to more children reading books, the National Literacy Trust has claimed.
Podcasts surged in popularity among young people during the national shutdown earlier this year and this may boost interest in reading, according to a study commissioned by the Trust.
Youngsters who listen to podcasts are more likely to enjoy reading and more likely to read every day compared to their peers who do not, the research found.
The NLT report compared the responses from a survey of 58,346 children in January to a survey of o 4,141 children in May.
The report found that 47.9 per cent of young people who listen to podcasts said they enjoyed reading compared to 40.8 per cent of those who do not, and 30.4 per cent read daily compared to 27 per cent who do not.
"There is some tentative evidence that listening to podcasts is associated with improved reading outcomes," the report says.
The research found nearly one in four young people said they listened to podcasts or audiobooks more during lockdown than before. Some young people increased their listening frequency and duration over this period, while others had started listening to podcasts for the first time.
The most common reasons given for turning to podcasts were that they helped them to relax, they had extra time to listen to them, and they were drawn in by key role models who are podcast creators.
Engagement with podcasts also increases with age as young people aged 14 and above were more inclined to listen to podcasts than younger children.
Emily Best, research manager at the NLT and co-author of the report, said: "We've long known that audio can provide new opportunities to engage children and young people with literacy - and our latest exploration into podcasts builds on this.
"We were excited to discover that podcasts not only support children's reading engagement but that their rise in popularity during lockdown could present new opportunities for the classroom and distance learning, particularly in terms of getting pupils interested in different topics, encouraging further reading around subjects and nurturing a love of storytelling."
