The National Year Of Reading

Find out about the government’s 12-month initiative to get more young people reading.

Despite there being more books, magazines and newspapers, available on more platforms than ever, there’s a fundamental problem with reading – not enough people are doing it. And crucially, not enough young people are doing it.

Research by the National Literacy Trust (NLT) has found that the percentage of children and young people who said they enjoyed reading in 2025 was at its lowest level in 20 years, with just 1 in 3 (32.7%) of those aged 8 to 18 saying they enjoyed reading in their free time. That represents a 36% decrease since the NLT began tracking this figure in 2005.

And it’s not just young people that appear to have lost the ability to enjoy reading. A study by the Reading Agency found that the number of UK adults who say they read regularly has decreased by almost 14%, from 58% to 50% since 2015, while those stating they have never been regular readers has increased from 8% to 15%.

A Gift That Keeps Giving

Given that reading for pleasure offers a huge number of benefits, from educational success to a variety of mental and physical health advantages, the Department for Education has deemed 2026 The National Year of Reading. Working alongside the NLT, the campaign aims to tackle the sharp decline in reading enjoyment across the UK and reconnect people of all ages with reading as a healthy and rewarding activity.

“The National Year of Reading provides us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate the UK’s relationship with reading and change people’s life stories,” said Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the NLT. “Whether it’s a baby experiencing the magic of a picture book for the first time, a teenager immersed in fan fiction or an adult reading the football pages on their commute, reading is for everyone.”

The year kicked off in January with a launch event that featured author and TV presenter Richard Osman, former Arsenal and England footballer Theo Walcott, plus children’s authors and illustrators Nadia Shireen and Jordan Glover leading a series of activities with local schoolchildren.

The initiative will see events and activities up and down the country, from author visits to schools to reading challenges in libraries, all of them designed to get young people reading for pleasure and encourage them to continue reading long into adulthood. Meanwhile, the magazine world has also got behind the initiative, with the PPA throwing its weight behind the programme.

“Magazine brands have a long-standing role in encouraging lifelong reading habits and engaging audiences of all ages,” said Sajeeda Merali, CEO of the PPA. “Through this partnership, we want to highlight the power of reading and the cognitive, emotional and social benefits it brings, helping to transform attitudes to reading, inspire curiosity and better enable people to tell the difference between fact and fiction.”

The Value Of Reading

Whether it’s settling down to a good book in your favourite spot or grabbing five minutes to read a magazine article, there’s little doubt that reading brings a huge amount of pleasure to a huge amount of people. But with modern life increasing the number of demands on our attention, it’s clear that reading can often take a back seat.

At a time when finding trusted sources of information and fact-checking has never been more important, The National Year of Reading should be applauded, reminding everyone that losing yourself in a story is one of the best ways to relax and can develop into a lifelong habit that will reward you decades into the future.

Find out more about The National Year of Reading at literacytrust.org.uk/about-us/national-year-of-reading-2026