Do men or women buy more books for their kids?: Poll

Kids like big books and they cannot lie!

A survey conducted by OnePoll for ThriftBooks found that both parents and kids enjoy reading.

In the research, 2,000 parents with young, school-age children were asked about their reading habits.

Half of parents noted that they bought books for their child once to a few times a month.

It was also discovered that fathers are more likely than moms to purchase books for their kids (54% vs. 44%).

Parents were happy to share their favorite childhood books with their kids (58%) and Gen Z moms and dads in particular love to show their kiddies their fave books, more than any other age group (76%). 

The average literature lover has about 26 books — 21 of which are their own choosing. About 6% of the average kid’s lit collection is made up of reading for school.

Three in four (76%) parents explained their kids are anxiously waiting to buy more novels. The average parent and child each spend about five hours a week reading.

Popular genres the youngsters love to devour include adventure (32%), fantasy (27%), fiction (27%) and mystery (27%).

“There are many ways both parents and educators can continue to foster a child’s love of reading through the years, from reading out loud together to having kids bring their favorite stories to life by drawing them or acting them out,” a spokesperson for ThriftBooks told South West News Service’s Talker Research.

They continued: “Any genre of books can easily become a teaching tool. By taking kids’ reading preferences into account, educators can create a robust library in and outside the classroom to turn students from readers into book lovers.”

Parents use several sources to find good book recommendations. Friends and family came in at 32%, while reading sites such as Goodreads and Book Riot were at 30%. Twenty-eight percent looked to online searches to discover new reads.

The poll also asked children if they were inspired to become authors due to their passion for books. About 68% agreed with this statement.

Seven in 10 parents believe their kids are more creative than they were at their age, with books being a main component of that idea.

More than half (55%) of parents think their child may grow up to have a career in a creative field. Other outlets that kids use to grow their creativity include drawing (37%) and writing (32%).

More than a quarter (26%) of parents also want to inspire their child to read more informational books.

KIDS’ FAVORITE BOOKS, ACCORDING TO PARENTS

• “Dragon Hoops” by Gene Luen Yan
• “Beauty and the Beast”
• Bible stories
• Disney’s “Frozen” collection
• “I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast” by Michael Holland
• Books by Judy Blume
• “Naruto”
• “The Baby-Sitters Club” by Ann M. Martin
• Poetry books
• The “Wings of Fire” series by Tui T. Sutherland