Irish survey finds 1 in 5 parents never read to their children

Marked decrease from the generation prior

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KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

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Only 20 percent of Ireland's parents read to their children

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A survey carried out by booksellers Easons through Amarach Research reveals that nearly 20 percent of parents never read to their children.

The Irish Independent reports on the survey which comes as part of Easons’, an Irish national bookseller, campaign aimed to encourage people to get into reading. The data collected showed that around one third of the parents surveyed point to time pressures as a leading factor in not reading to their children.

The approximate 20 percent of parents who don’t read to their children comes in sharp contrast to the 80 percent who were encouraged to read when they themselves were children. Similarly, 69 percent of those surveyed revealed that they were read to as children.

More than half of those surveyed reported that they feel guilty for not reading or not reading enough to their children.

Easons noted along with their data that “Among the many results that make up the report, it was clear that the regular reading to young children benefited their development.”

Further, Dr. John Sharry, a child psychologist, said that a daily reading time shared with children is "the single most important connection" between parents and child.

To learn more about Eason’s new ‘get into reading’ initiative, check out their blog here.

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