Almost one in five (18.6%) UK children between the ages of five and eight do not have access to books at home, new research has revealed.
According to a report by the National Literacy Trust, the percentage of children in this age group who do not have a book of their own at home has risen by 1.9% since before the pandemic and is now at its highest point since 2019.
The rising cost of living is cited as a key reason for this increase, with 87% of parents saying they now have less disposable income and 64% saying that the amount of money they have to spend on books for their child has decreased. Just over half (51%) say that books are simply too expensive.
