About the Report

The Kids & Family Reading Report is a national survey sharing the views of both kids and parents on reading books for fun and the influences that impact kids’ reading frequency and attitudes toward reading with 2023 unveiling the eighth edition

In 2015, the first international report was unveiled in the United Kingdom, followed in 2016 by India and Australia, Canada in 2017 and China in 2020.

The study was managed by Fluent Research and was fielded between December 13, 2022 and January 6, 2023. The total sample size of 1,724 parents and children includes: 

• 637 parents with children ages 0–5, 1,087 parents with children ages 6–17, plus one child ages 6–17 from the same household. 

• Parents of children ages 6–17 completed their survey questions first before passing the survey on to one randomly selected child in the target age range.

• The survey sample was sourced and recruited by Ipsos using their nationally representative KnowledgePanel®.

To further ensure proper demographic representation within the sample, final data were weighted according to the following benchmark distributions of children ages 0–17 from the most recent (March 2022) Current Population Survey (CPS) from the U.S. Census Bureau: Child gender within each of six age groups (0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17), region, metro status, household income, and child race/ethnicity within two age groups (0-5, 6-17). 

Some survey language was modified in age-appropriate ways to ensure comprehension among children ages 6–8. Children ages 6–8 were not asked some survey questions that involved more sophisticated thinking than is reasonable to ask 6–8 year-olds. 

Parents were invited to help young children read the survey but they were asked to allow children to independently answer all questions. At the end of the survey, children were asked to record the degree to which a parent helped them with the survey.

Virtually all (98%) of the adults interviewed were the parent or stepparent of the child surveyed. Therefore, throughout this report, we refer to adult respondents as “parents.” 

Ethnicity and Race data were collected using the United States Census Bureau approach; where race and ethnicity are two distinct concepts. An individual can select one or more of the following: White, Black or African American, Asian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, or some other race. 

According to the Census Bureau, ethnicity determines whether a person is of Hispanic origin or not. For this reason, ethnicity is broken out in two categories, Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino. People who identify as Hispanics may report as any race. 

For the purposes of subgroup analysis, four groups are compared to each other: Hispanics (of any race); Non-Hispanic Whites; Non-Hispanic Blacks; Non-Hispanic Multiple race, Non-Hispanic, or Asian. These labels are shortened throughout the report to: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian.

Data may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

The survey was conducted using the web-enabled KnowledgePanel®, a probability-based panel that is representative of the U.S. population. The recruitment process employs a scientifically developed address-based sampling methodology from the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS—a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the U.S. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.

For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining children's media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support children's learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all children around the world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.

Fluent Research is a data and insights-driven strategic consulting firm. Since 2006 Fluent has leveraged understanding of human behavior to help the world’s best-known brands and organizations advance worthy causes, innovate transformational products, and successfully navigate change. Fluent’s work centers around three practice areas: thought leadership research, formative research and evaluation, and social impact assessment. Fluent has applied rigorous and innovative research solutions in service of promoting children’s access to and quality of education, and gender equality in the U.S. and in over 70 countries around the world. Fluent’s creative arm, Fluent Productions, is an award-winning producer of original documentary content that harnesses the power of visual storytelling to bring attention to important issues facing our society, to build empathy and inspire action.