From my perspective, one key variable in this study is the impact of multitasking. Carina responded: ’The many challenges UK adults face around concentration and focus in reading was something that struck us as well when we were analysing the data. We’re still in the early stages of analysing the data you cited, but questions we’re exploring are around whether there are any correlations between people’s enjoyment of reading or feeling connected to reading materials affects their perseverance with reading. Our 2024 State of the Nation’s Adult Reading Report found that people aged sixteen to thirty-four are also more likely to say that they don’t feel represented and that they struggle to find interesting or relevant reading material, which might also have an impact on their ability to finish what they’ve started reading.
As you spotted, one in three (33%) of UK adults said they’re usually multitasking while they read, which increased to 45% of sixteen to forty-four-year-olds. When we think about multitasking, however, it’s also important to think about the opportunities provided by reading while multitasking. For example, audiobook use is on the rise, and our research shows that many people listen to audiobooks while driving, exercising, doing housework, etc. – that’s time people are now spending reading. Where the challenge comes in with multitasking while reading is if people feel it affects their ability to concentrate or focus on that content’.
Equally interesting is the way respondents themselves perceive their situation.
While they allude to a lack of time ( a common phenomenon we have seen in studies across different countries), their references to screen time are illuminating. Carina elaborated on the thoughts and perspectives that went into the study:
‘In our 2024 State of the Nation’s Adult Reading Report, we looked at the question of people’s perceived barriers to reading in detail. While a lack of free time was the strongest factor cited as stopping people from reading, as you said, we noticed some other very interesting patterns when we analysed the data against current reading habits.
People who don’t read regularly now and never have told us that they struggle with reading (13%), can’t focus on it (49%), don’t enjoy it (25%), or can’t find things that interest them (16%). By contrast, lapsed readers, or people who used to read regularly but have since dropped the habit, shared that they’ve stopped reading because of issues with their physical or mental health (17%) or vision (13%) or having experienced a difficult life event, such as a bereavement, losing a job or getting a divorce (11%). One in four lapsed readers (26%) also cited too much time spent on social media as preventing them from reading regularly. But again, screen time shouldn’t always necessarily be seen as ‘the enemy’. We know it can also be a really powerful access point for reading, for example, through eBooks, digital articles, blogs, webcomics and more written content. Importantly, people often selected multiple reasons as barriers, showing that it’s not typically one factor stopping us from reading as much as we intend to. In our 2025 survey, almost half of UK adults (46%) said they struggle to read because there are too many distractions around, which rises to 54% of those aged sixteen to fourty-four.
Carina Spaulding is responsible for leading, managing and supporting research and evaluation projects at The Reading Agency. Their current initiative Road to Reading, is aimed at promoting online reading communities for adults, with the goal of dedicating more time to reading. People will be supported to read for thirty minutes each week for ten weeks, receiving tips, support, and reading recommendations along the way (you can sign up at worldbooknight.org).
As someone who studies each moment of the reading process and aims to address these challenges as part of a team designing prototypes, I found the reason behind undertaking such research very interesting. Spaulding explained that: ‘for over twenty years, The Reading Agency has helped build a robust evidence base on the need for and positive impact of reading for people of all ages across the UK, supported by our research and evaluation projects. Over the years, our impact reports have contributed towards the body of knowledge connecting reading with key issues including life skills and opportunities, health and wellbeing, and loneliness and social connections. Through this work, we, along with many others in the sector, had identified a gap in up-to-date evidence on the UK’s adult reading habits. While there are extensive amounts of data highlighting children and teens’ reading habits – and rightly so – there was a real lack of data on adult reading since a piece of research we commissioned in 2015. Therefore, our main objective was to develop and publish an annual nationwide survey tracking adult reading engagement in the UK. Over the past two years we’ve put our efforts into revitalising that evidence base and understanding more about how frequently UK adults are reading what, when and how they’re reading; and how they feel about reading, including the benefits they experience and the barriers they face.’
The Reading Agency is in the initial stages of analysing their 2025 dataset. I recommend looking out for their upcoming reports, which will include many more insights around what’s driving the changing reading habits they have identified through their initial review of the data.
About The Reading Agency
The Reading Agency is a UK charity that inspires social and personal change through the proven power of reading. We work with individuals of all ages, communities and trusted partners to share the transformative benefits of reading for happy, healthy and thriving lives.
At The Reading Agency, we know that not everyone has an equal start in life, so we champion the proven power of reading by providing activities for all ages and backgrounds. We support readers to create social connections and improve their reading skills. We help people manage their health and wellbeing through reading.
Working with public libraries, prisons, hospitals and other community settings, last year our wide range of activities touched the lives of two million people. But with a UK population of over 67 million that isn’t nearly enough. We want to get more people fired up about reading, because everything changes when you read.
Details on the research
The two studies referred to above were commissioned by The Reading Agency and conducted by Censuswide with 4,000 UK nationally representative general consumers aged 16+ between 11.04.25 to 17.04.25 and with 2,003 UK nationally representative general 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.
This survey and the reading engagement measures used to understand adult reading habits in the UK were designed by The Reading Agency using their Peter Sowerby Foundation-funded Reading Outcomes Framework. For the purposes of this survey, ‘reading’ was defined as reading that takes place by choice rather than for work or education, and could include reading material such as books, e-books, audiobooks, graphic novels, comics, magazines, poetry, blogs and more.