Publishing Company Blog | Reading a book is best for empathy

Written By Unknown on Saturday, April 2, 2016 | 5:05 AM

Amnesty’s poll for International Children’s Book Day reveals half of parents think reading a book is the best way to develop empathy - but do you agree with the books they chose?

Have you ever read a book which has made you step back and see the world from another perspective, one you may not have even considered previously? In a new YouGov opinion poll commissioned by Amnesty International UK, parents were asked to select the pastime from a list of activities that they thought developed their child’s empathy the most - and reading has reached the top spot. More than half of 964 parents polled (53%) thought reading a book helped their children put themselves in someone else’s shoes, with just 12% saying TV and just 3% believing playing a computer game was the best way to develop empathy.