Comics are a diverse medium, growing steadily in popularity over recent years, and research highlights the potential for comics to improve comprehension and understanding in learners. This report by the National Literacy Trust looks at how children and young people aged 8 to 18 engage with comics.
The report highlights the importance of children and young people having access to a diverse range of reading materials, including comics.
Indeed, comics are a considerable part of the reading diet of many children and young people. When we asked children and young people aged 8 to 18 from across the UK about their reading habits as part of the Annual Literacy Survey in 2023, it was found that 2 in 5 (40.7%) read comics or graphic novels in their free time at least once a month.
The popularity of comics among children and young people is important as only 2 in 5 children enjoyed reading in their free time. This is the lowest level of reading enjoyment the Literacy Trust has recorded since it first began researching reading attitudes and habits in 2005.
This report draws on data collected in early 2023 from 64,066 children and young people aged 8 to 18 from across the UK to explore the attitudes and beliefs of comic readers.
Key Findings:
- 2 in 5 (40.3%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 told us they read comics or graphic novels on paper, on screen or both at least once a month.
- Paper was the most popular format for reading comics.
- The percentage of children and young people who read comics in their free time remained fairly consistent between 2010 and 2023.
- More boys than girls read comics in their free time at least once a month (44.6% vs 34.8%).
- The percentage of those who read comics decreased with age: 49.7% of those aged 8 to 11, 40.5% of those aged 11 to 14, 31.4% of those aged 14 to 16, and 32.1% of those aged 16 to 18 read comics at least once a month.
- Marginally more children and young people who received free school meals (FSMs) told us they read comics compared with their peers who did not receive FSMs (42.3% vs 39.2%).
- There were few differences in comic reading across different regions in England. However, more children and young people in London (51.7%) read comic books in their free time compared with their peers in other regions. Comic reading was lowest in Yorkshire (38.7%), the South East (37.1%) and South West (33.6%).
- Children and young people who read comics were more engaged with reading,
- regardless of their age:
- Nearly twice as many children and young people who read comics in their free time told us that they enjoyed reading compared with those who didn’t read comics in their free time (58.6% vs. 33.1%).
- More of those who read comics rated themselves as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ readers compared with those who didn’t read comics (86.0% vs 76.3%).
- More of those who read comics told us that they read something daily in their free time compared with their peers who did not read comics (35.7% vs. 22.8%).
Link: Children And Young People’s Engagement With Comics In 2023