The annual National Literacy Trust survey has found that 72.6 per cent of key stage 2 children say that they enjoy reading very much or quite a lot.
However, by the age of 14 to 16, in key stage 4, this figure has dropped to just 40 per cent.
The trend is one that has been sustained in this research since 2010. The key stage 2 to 4 gulf in reading for enjoyment averages 31.1 percentage points over this period.
The study also finds that key stage 4 children are much less likely to see the links between reading and employability. Only 36.4 per cent of the 14 to 16-year-olds said that being good at reading would improve their job prospects, compared to 71.3 per cent of key stage 2 children.
A gender gap in reading enjoyment also persists in the latest figures, with 61.2 per cent of girls aged eight to 18 enjoying reading compared to 47.8 per cent of boys.
Elsewhere, the findings show that pupils are spending more time reading online, averaging 100.4 minutes a day of online reading compared to 41.6 minutes a day of reading books.
The findings also emphasises the link between reading for enjoyment and attainment, with pupils who enjoy reading being three times more likely to read above the expected level for their age.
Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust, suggested that the huge amount of work that has been put into boosting primary school reading should now be refocused at secondary level.
He explained: “These energies need to be released into the secondary stage, where despite great work by English departments and librarians, pupils seem to be struggling to sustain their enjoyment of reading.
“Influencing factors could be the pressures of academic studies, lack of time, less campaigning at secondary stage by the third sector and a reduction in influence of parents.”
The National Literacy Trust offers reading for enjoyment training at both key stage 2 and 3 and runs a Literacy for Life programme aimed at cultivating reading for enjoyment across all curriculum subjects. Visit www.literacytrust.org.uk