The State of the Nation’s Adult Reading: 2024 Report

Half of all adults in the UK don’t read regularly, and 1 in 6 – that’s 8.5 million – struggles to read at all.¹ Our mission is to create a world of opportunity where every adult can access the benefits of reading. Reading not only makes us more aware and informed but also more empathetic, understanding of other people and cultures, and supports our health, wellbeing, and ability to learn new skills and communicate effectively.

Our Research

For 22 years, we have continued to build an understanding of the reading habits of people of all ages across the UK through our extensive research and evaluation projects. From this, we’ve noticed a significant lack of research into adult reading habits. Using our expertise in this area, we want to share the initial findings from our annual nationwide survey – the only one of its kind in the UK. ² This research provides a detailed look into the state of adult reading habits in 2024, covering reading frequency, confidence, benefits, barriers, and attitudes.

The first set of data focuses on the nation’s reading habits and the barriers people face in starting a reading journey.  

Focus On Reports

• Health and Wellbeing: Reading’s impact on mental health and happiness.
• Skills, Engagement and Career Opportunities: The role of reading in personal development.
• Family Reading: How shared reading builds lifelong readers.

Key Findings

Fewer People are Reading for Pleasure

The data reveals a large decrease in in the number of people reading regularly with only half of the nation (50%) now reading regularly, down from 58% in 2015. Among young people aged 16-24, a quarter have never been regular readers, and 44% of this group are now considered ‘lapsed readers’. Reading for pleasure here can include magazines, graphic novels, audiobooks, blogs, and more — not just books!

Barriers to Reading

Low reading confidence is a common barrier, with 11% finding reading ‘always’ or ‘usually’ difficult, rising to 22% among young adults. Nearly 3 in 10 people struggle to finish what they read (30%) or focus on reading for more than a few minutes (28%).

Quick Reads is bridging the gap in adult literacy with accessible and affordable stories for everyone. Find out more.

Reading Ahead is aimed at young people and adults who are less confident readers and those who want to improve their literacy and language skills or get back into reading. Find out more.

Generational Differences

Young adults (16-34) face the most barriers to reading, including lower enjoyment (55%), difficulty focusing (42%), and challenges finding relatable content (39%).

What’s Stopping People from Reading?

Non-readers say lack of enjoyment and difficulty finding interesting content are major barriers. Lapsed readers attribute their decline to life events, health issues, and time spent on social media.

Check out our booklists for reading recommendations.

Benefits of Reading

Regular readers report higher wellbeing and life satisfaction compared to lapsed and non-readers. They also benefit from improved sleep, concentration, empathy, and creativity. Read more reading facts here.

Engagement Through Media

Films, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks play a significant role in introducing reading to non-readers and reigniting interest among lapsed readers.

How You Can Help

Despite these challenges, the desire to read remains strong across all age groups. We’re committed to addressing these barriers and promoting the benefits of reading through our programmes and resources.

Get Involved

1. The Reading Agency (2024) State of the nation in adult reading; OECD (2013) ↩︎
2. Reading engagement measures and survey developed by The Reading Agency using our Reading Outcomes Framework. The research was conducted by Censuswide with 2,003 UK nationally representative consumers, between 02/04/24 – 04/04/24. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council. ↩︎