Kids and Family Reading Report Harry Potter: The Power of One Book

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Kids and Family Reading Report Harry Potter
The Power of One Book
July 2006
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Background

• The following deck highlights findings from The
  Kids and Family Reading Report that quantify the
  impact of Harry Potter on kids reading attitudes
  and behaviors.

The Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report?
is available online at www.scholastic.com/readingr
eport.
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Methodology

• Interviews for The Kids and Family Reading Report
  were conducted from January 16 February 8, 2006
  with 1,000 individuals500 children and one
  parent or primary guardian per child.
• The series of questions about Harry Potter was a
  subset of a larger body of research about kids
  and parents reading attitudes and behaviors.
  
• Parents/primary guardians were recruited via
  mall-intercept in 25 major cities across the US.
  They were screened to meet the following
  criteria
• Have at least one child ages 5-17 present during
  the time of the intercept at the mall.
  
• Be related to the child either as parent,
  grandparent or caretaker.
  
• Upon eligibility, the parent or primary guardian
  completed the survey themselves using a
  computer.
  
• Children ages 5-8 (and others as necessary) were
  read the survey by professional interviewers and
  asked to answer all other children completed the
  survey themselves using a computer.

The Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report?
is available online at www.scholastic.com/readingr
eport.
4
Methodology Contd

• Quotas for race, gender and child age-group were
  established to ensure ample base sizes for
  analysis purposes.
  
• The final data were weighted by the following
  variables to ensure sample representation of the
  US market
  
• Region
• Race
• Childs Age
• Parents Age (by gender)
• Parents Marital Status
• Parents Education (by gender)

Significance testing between groups has been don
e at the 90 confidence levels, and are
designated by the following notations throughout
this report The margin of error is 4.5 pe
rcentage points.
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Sample Overview
Total kids sample (n 500)
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Study Highlights

• Harry Potter has a positive impact on kids
  reading and their performance in school, and
  their parents agree.
  
• 51 of Harry Potter readers ages 5-17 years old
  say they did not read books for fun before they
  started reading the series.
  
• 65 say they have been doing better in school
  since reading Harry Potter and 76 of parents
  agree.
  
• The positive impact of Harry Potter on kids
  reading is particularly strong among boys.
  
• More boys than girls have read Harry Potter (57
  vs. 51, respectively).
  
• 61 of boys agree that they did not read for fun
  before they started reading Harry Potter,
  compared to 41 of girls.
  
• Kids indicate they have trouble finding books
  they like and kids reading drops off sharply
  after age 8. However, on average, Harry Potter
  readers start reading the series at age 9 and
  they continue as they mature.
• 68 of 5-17 year olds are interested in reading
  or re-reading Harry Potter books in the future.
  
• After the release of the seventh and final book
  in the Harry Potter series, many readers will be
  in search of a new series to read.
  
• One in five Harry Potter readers do not believe
  it will be over and 51 say they are going to
  look for a new book series to read, and one in
  three will re-read the books.

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Half Of All Parents And Kids Have Read Harry
Potter
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Half Of Harry Potter Readers Say They Did Not
Read Books For Fun Before Harry Potter Parents
Agree
Asked of kids who say they have read Harry
Potter or that their parents have read Harry
Potter to them. Asked of parents who say thei
r child has read Harry Potter.
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The Majority Of Harry Potter Readers Say The
Series Has Made Them Interested In Reading Other
Books And Helped Them Perform Better In School
Kids Attitudes Towards Reading Harry Potter
10
Harry Potter Readers Perceive Themselves As
Better Students
How Readers Of Harry Potter Perceive Themselves
Compared To Other Kids
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Harry Potter Readers Are More Likely To Consider
Reading Important And Beneficial
Reading Valuation Among Harry Potter Readers
Versus Non-Harry Potter Readers
Agree A Lot That
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Parents See Positive Results Of Kids Reading
Harry Potter
Parents Attitudes Towards Their Child Reading
Harry Potter
Asked of parents who say their child has read
Harry Potter.
13
Boys Are More Likely Than Girls To Have Read
Harry Potter
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The Impact of Harry Potter Is Particularly Strong
Among Boys
Boys who have read the Harry Potter series are
more likely than girls to agree that they did not
read books for fun before Harry Potter. Findings
among parents support this view.
Asked of kids who say they have read Harry
Potter or that their parents have read Harry
Potter to them. Asked of parents who say thei
r child has read Harry Potter.
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The Majority Of Boys Say It Is Important To Read
Harry Potter To Feel In With Their Friends
Harry Potter Readers
16
Harry Potter Is Popular Among Kids Nine Years Old
and Up
On average, kids say they start reading Harry
Potter at age 9.

17
Harry Potter Readers Remain Loyal To The Series
90 of Harry Potter readers are interested in
reading or re-reading books from the series in
the future. 84 of Harry Potter readers plan to
read all the books in the series.
18
After The Seventh Harry Potter Book, Many Readers
Will Be In Search Of A New Book Series
Harry Potter Readers Say They Will Do The
Following When There Are No More (New) Harry
Potter Books
Nearly one in five (19) Harry Potter readers say
they do not believe the series will really be
over after the seventh book.
19
Kids Think Harry Potter Is One Of The Best Books
For Young Readers, And Parents Agree

• On an unaided basis, one in three (33) kids say
  Harry Potter is among the best books for someone
  their age to read.
  
• 9-11 year olds are most likely to hold this view
  at 44.
  
• Just over half (54) of Harry Potter readers have
  this opinion however boy readers are more likely
  than girl readers to hold this view (60 vs. 47,
  respectively).
• The next most popular mentions are Goosebumps at
  8, and Dr. Seuss and Lemony Snicket books at 6.
  
  
• Unprompted, 34 of parents say Harry Potter is a
  must read for kids and teens.
  
• Parents of 9-11 year olds are most likely to hold
  this view at 44.
  
• Half (49) of parents whose children have read
  Harry Potter have this opinion.
  
• The next most commonly mentioned must read
  childrens book is Dr. Seuss at 12.