Farewell to Trump, Towie and The Kardashians: 2021 reading trends revealed

Last year saw more than 140,000 digital magazine issues distributed and read 99 million times on Readly, the digital subscription app.  Following a year of doom and gloom, Readly reveals what we want to read about in 2021. With one in four of us (24%) planning to read more this year, food and drink (27%), TV, film and cinema (27%) and music, arts and culture (19%) are the topics we intend to focus more attention on. Whilst Brexit (28%), US politics (28%) and coronavirus (27%) topped the list of topics we hope to read less about in 2021.
 
The research of over 2,000 UK adults by digital magazine subscription app Readly also revealed the people we would like to hear less about this year.  Donald Trump (49%) is top of the list, compared to Joe Biden who one in five (18%) people would like to read less on. The Kardashian-Jenner family (43%) and other British reality TV stars such as TOWIE and Love Island (40%) also feature in the ranking.  

“The magazines and topics we read reveal the passions and interests taking hold of the nation. After a year of lockdowns and much uncertainty, there’s a growing need for some positivity and inspiration. It’s clear to see that more people are planning to read about activities that keep them busy or can ‘do something about’ such as cooking, DIY and interior design and hobbies to take up as they seek a source of inspiration, entertainment and education at home. Similarly, people have had enough of ‘stale makers’ and are seeking some normality and fresh thinking this year." says Ranj Begley, UK Managing Director and Chief Content Officer at Readly

The top 10 people we would like to read less about in 2021:

1. Donald Trump
2. The Kardashian-Jenners
3. Reality TV Stars: TOWIE and Love Island
4. Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
5. Kayne West
6. Justin Bieber
7. Piers Morgan
8. Boris Johnson
9. Nicola Sturgeon
10.  Harry Styles

Readly offers unlimited "all-you-can-read” access to 5,000 national and international digital magazines and newspapers.

The hobbies we intend to read more about in 2021 include:

1. Cooking (38%)

2. Gardening (31%)
3. Music (29%)
4. DIY/craft (28%)
5. Sport & Fitness (26%)
6. Pets (23%)
7. Puzzles/Suduko (21%)
8. Gaming (20%)
9. Interior design (18%)
10. Photography and Art (16%) 

The focus on the culinary arts is a continuing trend from last year as Readly saw a 40% increase in food and drink readership in 2020 compared to the year before . For 2021, many more people will develop a green thumb as gardening and houseplants (31%) came in strongly for one of the top hobbies of 2021, reflecting our need for greenery and nature whatever our home situation may be. 

Similarly, a quarter (25%) of us intend to read more about health and wellness this year, which aligns with the top two motivations for us in the year ahead: exercising more (42%) and eating more healthily (38%).

“Reading at home can help to keep us informed as well as inspire, entertain and motivate us during these changing times. Our subscribers are reading a wider  breadth of magazines and newspapers across our portfolio than ever before”, says Ranj Begley, UK Managing Director and Chief Content Officer at Readly

Visit www.readly.com for further information.

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About these findings: Research Based on Opinion Matters research commissioned by Readly, polling 2,003 UK residents 08-11/01/2021.