2024 CLPE Reflecting Realities survey
7th annual CLPE Reflecting Realities survey shows significant drop in the presence of racially minoritised characters in books published for children in the UK
The 2024 CLPE Reflecting Realities survey is published today.
This is the 7th annual Reflecting Realities survey carried out by CLPE and it shows a drop in the presence of racially minoritised characters in books published for children in the UK down to 17% in 2023 from 30% in 2022.
Though this demonstrates a significant increase from the 4% first reported in 2017, it is the first year that the survey has shown an annual decrease.
This decrease is also echoed in the percentage of racially minoritised main characters, down 7 percentage points from 14% in 2022 to 7% in 2023.
Using the detailed methodology established in the first year of this work, the Reflecting Realities survey reports on racially minoritized characters included in fiction, non-fiction and picturebooks aimed at readers age 3-11.
For the first time this year, minoritised presence in fiction is down year on year – from 24% in 2022 to 11% in 2023. Fiction is also the text type which has seen much slower growth than non- fiction and picturebooks and these figures represent a significant widening of the gap.
This is echoed in the presence reported in non-fiction – down from 30% in 2022 to 22% in 2023. This marks the second drop in a row after a sustained increase in the first five reports.
Picturebooks continue to have the highest proportion of presence across the three text types. Despite reporting a decrease of 9 percentage points in 2022 to 52% this cycle has seen a slight increase with 55% of picturebook titles published in 2023 featuring characters from racially minoritised backgrounds within their casts.
Farrah Serroukh Executive Director of Research and Development, CLPE said, ‘The ethical imperative should go without saying. However, beyond this the principle of inclusion simply makes books better. Through every annual review of the last seven years we have had the privilege of being treated to stories, characters, writing and worlds that have elevated the literary landscape, enriched the culture and transformed reading experiences. This can only be a good thing for the publishing industry and with the appropriate investment can have positive commercial and reputational implications. We encourage the industry to take the lessons learned and remain steadfast in their commitment to reflecting realities and serving their readership.’
Rebecca Eaves, Chief Executive, CLPE said, ‘A mere 12 months ago, we could be forgiven for looking at the results of the 6th Reflecting Realities report and congratulating ourselves on a collective job well done. These most recent, more sobering results, particularly after a summer of racially motivated riots, remind us that the job is far from done. It’s more important than ever that all children can see themselves and those that look like them in the books they read. CLPE, with ongoing funding from the Arts Council England, will continue to support and champion our partners across the publishing industry in their commitment to make this a reality.’
The annual CLPE survey was launched in 2018 and has been funded by Arts Council England since its inception. The core aim of the survey is to determine the extent and quality of representation of racially minoritised characters featured within picturebooks, fiction and non- fiction for ages 3-11 published in the UK. Taken together, the 7 years of reporting provide an invaluable standard benchmark and guidance for the industry to evaluate output.
James Urquhart, Interim Director Literature, Arts Council England said ‘We are proud to continue to fund CLPE’s Reflecting Realities report which is a vital annual touchpoint for children’s publishers and the wider ecosystem. As a society we owe it to children to ensure that the books they find in their schools, libraries and bookshops are representative of their lived experiences, especially in the face of recent evidence of an alarming decline in reading enjoyment among young people. Relevant and representative books are a fundamental building block in getting children back into reading for pleasure. We are committed to advocating – with CLPE and many other partners and stakeholders – for sustained change in diverse representation so that recent gains won’t be lost.’
Read the CLPE 2024 Reflecting Realities Survey in full: CLPE Reflecting Realities 2024
Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O’Connor, who contribute the regular Beyond the Secret Garden articles to Books for Keeps respond to the report here.
