Children and young people’s reading in Ireland report published by Children’s Books Ireland

Children’s Books Ireland
July 2025

Are Irish children and young people reading? If so, are they reading for pleasure? Children’s Books Irelands latest research report indicates more work required to support children and young people’s reading habits.

Children’s Books Ireland have published a new research report which provides a detailed insight into children’s and teenagers’ reading in the Republic of Ireland. The Children and young people’s reading in Ireland report reveals the most popular genres of books children and teens are reading, whether they are reading, how many books they own at home, factors that influence how adults choose books for children and more. The report is based on data collected by Ipsos B&A in December 2024 in a nationally representative online omnibus survey.

Respondents were first asked how many children up to eighteen years they have, and then asked the questions separately for each child with findings separated into three categories: aged under 4, aged 5–12, and aged 13–18.

Akin to recent research from the UK’s National Literacy Trust, the captured data uncovers a worrying pattern of plummeting rates in reading enjoyment and book ownership in children and young people.

Key Findings from the report:

• More than 1 in 5 Irish children under the age of four are not being read to
• 24% of Irish teenagers (13–18) and 19% of boys across all age categories are not reading for pleasure
• The average child owns 20 books, a drop from 30 books as recorded in 2023
• 21% of parents believe that the most important factor when choosing a book for their child is that it will teach them something

Read the report in full here