Half of UK adults don’t read for pleasure

When did you last get stuck into a really good book?

If you don’t remember, you’re not alone. Some 50% of UK adults don’t read for pleasure, a new survey suggests, down from 58% in 2015. Meanwhile almost one in four (24%) young people (16-24) say they’ve never been readers.

The sharp decline – revealed by The Reading Agency today (23 July) – means that more than 27 million Brits are missing out on the joys of reading.

• Children’s author Malorie Blackman: ‘As a teenager I had never read any books by Black authors’
• What’s behind low levels of literacy among people experiencing homelessness?

The summer holidays are the perfect time to rectify this, said Karen Napier, CEO of The Reading Agency.

“We would encourage anyone who hasn’t picked up a book or audiobook in a while, or who may have lost their confidence, to use this summer break to kick-start their reading habit,” she added.

“Whether you’re reading on the beach or being transported to faraway lands from the comfort of your living room – reading really can change everything.”

If you’re not sure where to start, try an accessible quick read or ask for recommendations at your local library, Napier suggested.

Some 15% of UK adults have never consumed books regularly for pleasure, an 88% increase since 2015. Over a third (35%) of UK adults are “lapsed readers” who used to read but have stopped.

The biggest barrier to reading is a lack of time, cited by a third of the 2,000 adults surveyed. The distraction of social media was the second most common reason, with 20% of people struggling with this.

11% of adults find reading difficult, rising to 22% among young people aged 16-24. 30% of UK adults struggle to finish what they’re reading, and 28% of UK adults have difficulty focusing on reading for more than a few minutes.

Author and The Reading Agency ambassador Amanda Prowse has published more than 30 novels. Discovering reading “changed her life.”

“I was a little girl who grew up in a house without any books. The day I walked into a library is one I’ll never forget,” she said.

“With a book in my hand, I was able to travel in my mind, curled on the sofa. I could shut out noise, close out chaos and feed my imagination. To help someone discover books, to encourage reading, is I think, one of the greatest acts of human kindness.”

The survey follows a recent survey showing a “crisis” in childhood literacy. BookTrust statistics released earlier this year show that one in five children aged 0-4 have a book read to them less than once a month. Just two in five (43.4%) children and young people aged eight to 18 said they enjoyed getting stuck into a book in 2023 – the lowest level since BookTrust first asked the question in 2005.

Speaking to the Big Issue last month, children’s author Frank Cottrell-Boyce said that reading helps children build an “apparatus of happiness within themselves”.

“A book that you love has this power to point you towards small pleasures, and small pleasures are so fortifying,” he said.

“Reading isn’t a total fix. It won’t fix broken buildings, and it can’t fix broken families, but it will make a very big difference to individual children.”

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.