Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP5472
Authors: Jan C. van Ours
Abstract: This paper investigates the reading of fiction books by 15-year-olds in 18 OECD countries. It appears that girls read fiction books more often than boys, whereas boys read comic books more often than girls. The intensity by which children read fiction books is influenced by parental education, family structure, and the number of books and TVs at home. Reading comic books does not affect the reading of fiction books. Parents who want their children to read fiction books frequently should have a lot of books at home and at most one television.
Keywords: books; PISA data; reading
JEL Codes: L82; Z11
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| gender (J16) | reading preferences (Y30) |
| parental education (I24) | children's reading habits (Y50) |
| family structure (J12) | children's reading behavior (C92) |
| availability of books at home (Y30) | children's reading frequency (Y50) |
| number of televisions at home (D19) | children's reading habits (Y50) |
| reading comic books (Y30) | reading fiction books (Y92) |