Which POV do YA readers prefer?

In my experience, it varies from person to person. I know people who can't stand things written in first person, people who hate present tense, etc. You name it, there are readers who aren't going to like it. Most people I know (teens included) are fine with anything as long as it works. So I wouldn't say there's an overwhelming trend. If third is what works for your story, write it in third.

I feel like the black sheep of the YA community because I'm not a big fan of first-person present. I find it extremely limiting. Third-person omniscient is my favorite and it is what I write in. I love inserting little Godlike remarks like "and that was the last time she ever spoke to him alive" or "they didn't know it yet, but love, it seemed, was not on their side" at the end of chapters. Third person, I think, works best when your story is more about a group of characters as a whole rather than one or two MCs with a bunch of side characters.

I blame it entirely on Lemony Snicket.

It depends on the reader, but your niece seems like she's enforcing a personal standard. I wouldn't take her one-sided personal taste to heart.

The majority of YA is written in first person, though I'm unsure if present tense rivals past tense or people just push it more often. There are many YA novels written in third person, just not as much as first. First person works well with young adult mindsets as "I, me, my" story and can reach emotional levels a touch easier--for the writer. Although, half the readers of YA are adult, so writing to just young adults isn't upholding the whole demographic of the genre.

IMO, write whatever POV and tense you favor. You might not read or prefer a certain tense, so you might write it awkwardly. Use whatever POV you prefer for your story and how you wish to tell it. Myself, I'm third person past tense (regardless of number of POVs), but that doesn't stop me from writing first person present tense, and I'll read anything that's good.

While the majority of YA is written in first person, that doesn't mean you have to write in first person to write YA. There's not a right or wrong answer here.

Whichever POV best fits your story and your voice is the right one to use.

Personally, as a writer, I love first person. It's what flows easiest for me. I've never finished any of the WIPs I've written in third. But as a reader, I'm on board with anything provided it has voice and works. As long as it has flavour, I'm willing to read it.

I used to write nothing but third; then I got onto a first-person-present kick and found it worked really well for the stories I was telling (yes, even dual POV!). As a reader, though, I can't imagine rejecting anything with a good voice, regardless of tense or POV, and I felt the same way as a teen. There are adults who claim they don't read present tense, which just floors me.

Off the top of my head: Maggie Stiefvater's The R@ven Boys is in third person, and that series seems to have done just fine. Perhaps there are teens who expect third to sound stodgier than first, like the books they're assigned to read for class, but third can be just as fleet, informal, and contemporary-sounding as first (if that's the writer's goal).

I read YA, and I prefer third person. There was once a time when I didn't care for first person, and especially FPP, but now I'll read anything if it's done well.

I will say this, though. For those who write multiple first-person narrators, please make sure the reader can distinguish their voices.

I like both. But as a writer, I much prefer 1st person present (after years of writing in 3rd person past) because I have a tendency to ramble and 'tell' too much in 3rd. 1st present restricts me to only the necessary, which is so helpful.
Shame I didn't have a filter like that in everyday life....

For all the people who do not like a certain point of view, there are just as many people (if not more) who prefer that point of view. I've read YA books written from various viewpoints, including first and third person. They all work for me, depending on the writer's style and if I find the narration believable, of course. It's all dependent on the reader in the end.

My daughter is 15 and strongly prefers first. I think it's a generational thing. Most older adults strongly prefer third and most young people (teens) prefer first.

Personally, I've read extremely widely and strongly prefer the right POV for the story.

There's a lot of popular YA around written in third. Don't sweat it and write what you want to write. Personally, I'm most comfortable with third person limited.

I'm much more critical of first person. The character has to have an interesting voice, remain very consistent, and have a strong perspective on what's going on around her. Furthermore, it puts me in the mindset that since the character has written what's transpired then she must survive whatever's ahead of her relatively intact. The only way around the latter part is by going first person present tense, which is a difficult pie with awkward filling.

Locke said:

There's a lot of popular YA around written in third. Don't sweat it and write what you want to write. Personally, I'm most comfortable with third person limited.

I'm much more critical of first person. The character has to have an interesting voice, remain very consistent, and have a strong perspective on what's going on around her. Furthermore, it puts me in the mindset that since the character has written what's transpired then she must survive whatever's ahead of her relatively intact. The only way around the latter part is by going first person present tense, which is a difficult pie with awkward filling.

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I actually think that first-present is the easiest tense to write, but the hardest to write effectively. If badly written, it can sound bland, repetitive and lifeless. If written well, it can drag you right into the suspense and action of a story and keep you. It's probably the best if you're writing a story with minimal world building and a big focus on action and plot.

Chazemataz said:

I actually think that first-present is the easiest tense to write, but the hardest to write effectively. If badly written, it can sound bland, repetitive and lifeless. If written well, it can drag you right into the suspense and action of a story and keep you. It's probably the best if you're writing a story with minimal world building and a big focus on action and plot.

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Interesting. I find the action parts of books written in present tense the most jarring. In fact, so jarring that I cannot stay immersed in those books, so I don't read them. Of course I know that I am more of an exception than the rule, and most people will read books in any person or tense, as long as the book is good.
My daughter, who is 12 and closer to YA than I am, said she doesn't care if it is 1st or 3rd, but also has preference for past, although not as strong as mine.

Olga said:

Interesting. I find the action parts of books written in present tense the most jarring. In fact, so jarring that I cannot stay immersed in those books, so I don't read them. Of course I know that I am more of an exception than the rule, and most people will read books in any person or tense, as long as the book is good.
My daughter, who is 12 and closer to YA than I am, said she doesn't care if it is 1st or 3rd, but also has preference for past, although not as strong as mine.

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I think that goes back to the "if written well" caveat. Keep in mind that everything which follows is a completely unqualified opinion from a totally unpublished writer, but past tense is a more natural narrative mode. It appeals to our instincts as creatures who are wired to learn from stories. Present tense, though, is a much more immediate storytelling mode which can be more effective at sucking the reader into the moment. Thus, when you combine it with first person, where the reader is more or less forced to live in the MC's headspace, the reader is being asked on an emotional level to live right now as this person.

Keep in mind, I love first person, too. If all of the ideas behind a story line up so that I can allow a character to tell the story for me and expose the full plot and theme without ever breaking away from their eyes, then it's the flying arthropod's flexible lower appendages. Similarly, with present tense, I'm going in with the knowledge that I'm going to have to severely edit for pacing in later drafts because I know I'm going to screw it up even more so than I would with past tense. If you ask me, it's the most difficult tense paired with the second-most difficult voice to pull off well. There's undoubtedly people who find that natural. I don't, and I'd be willing to hypothesize that those who do (and do so well) are an uncommon breed. So, if you can nail it, go for it, but make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and not just because you can.

Wrapping all of that back into context with the OP. changing the tense of a complete WIP isn't something I'd trust to the judgement of a fifteen-year-old. Polish it, beta it, maybe even query it, and if somebody can make a compelling argument about why you should rewrite the entire thing to accommodate a particular taste, that's when you worry about it. Don't fix it until it's a problem.

I know an awful lot of adults who read YA who refuse to read first person under any circumstances. Like, even if it's Jane Eyre. So your worry is the opposite of mine.

I guess, though, if someone hates FFP, I just have to accept that they won't like my writing. You can't please everyone... And it looks like your niece isn't one of the readers who will like your choice. Doesn't mean other teenagers won't have equally strong preferences the other way, or simply not care.

I don't think FPP is an overwhelming trend as much it is something that was outside the norm for years, and now has a strong presence.

I actually tried writing my current WIP in third person present. I couldn't bring myself to quite go to FPP! I ended up editing it all to TPP, though. It seems to be what works for me. I can never quite nail that snappy, sarcastic contemporary voice of FP. I like reflective. I actually think I write a little like James Dashner in style.

My friend (a high school librarian) says most teens don't care or notice what style the book is written in.

I've been reading YA almost exclusively. It's totally an individual preference, but my experience is that it's mostly first person. And first person is what I want, AND seek out. It's also what I write in.

I wouldn't NOT read something because it wasn't first, but it would take more convincing. But again, totally just a personal preference.

first person may (?) be the easiest to read
so there's that / prefer it myself
but ain't 15 / so what's that matter ?!