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Growing up, I was able to observe my mother’s love of reading, which encouraged me to read more — almost like our household had its own fun competition for the most pages read. The reading challenges in my school system and local library also spurred on my reading habit.

At some point in middle school, I heard the theory that it’s important not only to read but to surround yourself with books in your home, to help foster our prioritization of taking time to read, to deeply immerse ourselves and to learn something new each time we open a book. But as social media boomed, digital literacy became more of a priority and e-readers became available, I began to wonder how those factors would impact the appearance of physical books in a person’s home—not to mention increasing expenses, making it more difficult to prioritize buying books (or using gas to drive to the local library, or spending money on e-readers and e-books).

So when I came across this study about the current reading habits of traditional American households, I knew I had to keep reading. This study not only examines the reading habits of adults and children, but also the genres they read the most, how frequently they buy books and — particularly interesting to the most competitive book nerds among us — statistical proof on whether mothers or fathers buy more books for their children.

WHAT WOULD YOU BELIEVE?

Before looking at the study by ThriftBooks, conducted by OnePoll and presented by Talker Research, what would be your guesses? How much time do you think the traditional American dedicates to reading? What genres are they the most likely to read? And the big question of the day, who is buying the most children’s books — mothers or fathers?

LIFELONG READING IS BEST STARTED YOUNG

One fact presented in the study that should not surprise any of us is the fact that an interest in reading is more likely to last a lifetime if it is nurtured from a young age.

Of the 2,000 parents with school-age children who participated in the study, 69% of those parents confirmed that their children often exhibit so much creative energy, they have to find multiple outlets to express it. This might mean reading more books, acting out scenes or creating artwork that the young reader imagined from the scene they read.

Parents reported that 37% of their children selected drawing as their secondary outlet to reading, while 32% said their children selected writing.

From an early age, 55% of parents have confirmed that they can imagine their child choosing a creative field to pursue, and 68% of children stated they would like to write stories of their own someday.

Reading is best started at a young age, not only for the child’s development but also for their budding interest in stories. While learning a language, social cues and sequences, a child may want to hear the same story over and over while learning how that story pieces together in the world they know. But this habit of repetition can easily be translated into a growing child’s interest in reading, as they continue to read more stories and develop a sense of the genres they love the most and the tropes they’ll want to experience again and again.

A LOVE OF BOOKS PASSED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

These children’s love for books is easy to believe, as 58% of the participating parents also confirmed that they preferred to share in reading time and to introduce their children to their favorite books they had while growing up, over other activities.

Fifty percent confirmed that they would prefer to share their favorite children’s book instead of watching a favorite TV show.

Forty-seven percent said if they were choosing whether to share a favorite childhood toy or book with their child, they would choose the book.

Forty-four percent even said they preferred to share the world of books with their children more than physical places or experiences.

This was especially true of Gen-Z parents, as 76% of their age group confirmed that they would share a favorite childhood book with their child before any other childhood experience that they wanted to share with them — which was the highest percentage of any other parental age group.

BREAKING GENERATIONAL CYCLES WITH BOOKS

“Breaking generational cycles” or “Break the Cycle” are both popular phrases among parents ranging between the ages of 20 and 35, and this study has made it obvious that parents are also prioritizing breaking their creative generational cycles.

Seventy-one percent of parents confided that they felt their child, or children, were far more creative than they had been at their children’s age, and they believed that having books in their home and their time spent reading was a driving force in fostering that creativity.

Part of breaking this cycle is in the physical presence of children’s books in the home.

According to this study, the average child now has 26 books, with 21 of those books being titles they selected themselves.

Only about 6% of these home libraries are made up of books that the children are required to read for their in-school curriculum.

Sixty-two percent of these children also have their own bookshelf, and 48% of that bookshelf is full.

That 62% is sure to increase soon, however, as 72% of parents confirmed that their children either wanted to achieve halfway filling their bookshelves — or even filling them up entirely!

A FATHER’S ROLE IN CHILDHOOD READING

Half of the parents who participated in the study (50%) confirmed that they purchase books for their children’s home library once per month or even multiple times per month.

For those of you who guessed that fathers would purchase more children’s books for their home than mothers would, you would be correct. Fifty-four percent of fathers who participated in the study said they were more likely to buy books for their kids — once or even several times per month — than their partners.

Only 44% of mothers stated that they purchased the majority of the children’s books that were in their homes.

But while it’s fun to compete and argue over who brings home the most books, it’s clear that the study has also proven something else: more parents are buying more books for their children, and encouraging them to read more frequently, which should be the core goal here.

MORE FAMILIES PRIORITIZING READING THAN EVER BEFORE

Of the participating families, a resounding 65% of both parents and children enjoy reading frequently, often more than other activities.

On average, parents and children read together for 5 hours every week.

The preferred genres of these families are currently adventure books (32%), fiction (27%), fantasy (27%), and mystery (27%), all of which are extremely fun, immersive genres that also encourage critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Parents frequently look for more book recommendations, and they claimed to receive most of their suggestions from family and friends (32%), online searches (28%), and book sites like Goodreads and BookTrib (30%).

Twenty-six percent of parents are encouraging their children to include more informational books on their bookshelves, and 54% of parents purchase educational books or workbooks that their child can use at any time throughout the year, with 48% of those parents utilizing them year-round.

THEIR KIDS’ FAVORITE BOOKS, ACCORDING TO THE PARENTS

The 2,000 parents in the study also reported what they believed to be their child’s favorite book or genre at the moment. Here is the list:

It’s clear that reading is a vital activity for every child, but frequent reading encourages creative thinking and empathy. For parents who want to start including more books in their homes, there are many ways to get started. Books can be purchased at affordable prices from discount stores, secondhand bookstores and even discount bins at local libraries, or families can begin their reading journey by simply borrowing from the library for a while.

Children should also be given the room to explore genres until they find one that they really like and that makes them think. If they’re told they can only read one genre that their parents prefer, that would be too limiting and might encourage the child to discontinue their reading practice.


The statistical information found in this article was collected by Talker Research on behalf of Thriftbooks, based on the data collected by OnePoll. Read the original study here.


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Mckenzie Tozan

McKenzie is a poet, novelist, essayist and avid reader. She received her B.A. in English and B.S. in Education from Indiana University, followed by her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University. Since 2010, she’s worked in the publishing industry, primarily with small presses and literary magazines. Originally from the Midwest, McKenzie now calls coastal Croatia home, alongside her husband, their three children and their cat. When she isn’t writing or reading, she’s probably creating art, playing piano, swimming, hiking, or baking Halloween treats. You can find more about her on her website.

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