Brits say writing standards have declined with the digital era whilst reading opportunities have risen: International Literacy Day (8 September)

Almost half of Brits (44 percent) believe that their writing standards have declined with technology but that their overall literacy and reading has been positively influenced, says new research. 

53 percent of people said that the digital era has had a positive impact on literacy levels overall according to the research by Readly digital magazine and newspaper app.

40 percent of people are reading more widely than before, 49 percent are reading more on global issues and concerns and 44 percent said they are able to read more in depth about topics that matter to them, forming a more balanced opinion.  40 percent are reading more quality content and 37 percent said that reading in the digital era has helped them learn a new skill or hobby.

With International Literacy Day approaching, we want to encourage people to read more of what they love. Reading has evolved so much over the last ten years with the digital era presenting greater access to quality content and more opportunities than before to read and be informed and inspired, whatever your reading style or interest area, says Chloe Rushmere, Head of Content at Readly

Whilst most people believe that the digital era has positively impacted their level of literacy, one in ten (13%) said it has had a negative impact and a third (34%) said there has been no difference in literacy at all.

Younger generations believe more strongly about the  impact with 81 percent of 25-34 year olds and 65 percent of 35-44 year olds saying the digital era has had a positive impact on their literacy levels. Half of those aged 45-54 and 33 percent of 55 plus support the view, showed the research.

The most popular topics to read about across digital magazines in the last year according to data from Readly, the digital magazine and newspaper app with over 8,000 titles, are cars and motoring, gardening, interior design, photography, technology, running, cycling and fitness, food and drink and home and renovation.

A third of adults said they prefer to read long form content such as articles, features and opinions on mobile (36%), laptop or computer (20%), print (18) and tablet (17%).

Reading styles have also evolved with the onset of digital. ‘Skim reading’ (13%) and ‘snack’ reading’ (8%) are both commonplace styles people are adopting, showed the research. 13 percent prefer deep diving into long sessions of focussed reading but 30 percent opt for the ‘best of both’ reading both long and short sessions, depending on the mood, content and location.

 From deep diving into a feature or opinion piece, to snack reading on the go or skim reading a magazine or article, Readly has a title on its app with quality, varied content and a journalistic style for every type of reader, adds Chloe

For more information visit www.readly.com.

ENDS
 

For more details contact: [email protected] or 07879 818 711

Research: The representative online survey was conducted by Opinion Matters on behalf of Readly in September 2025. 2,000 people in the UK were surveyed.

About Readly
Readly is a European category leader for digital magazines and newspapers. The company offers a digital subscription service where customers have unlimited access to 8,000 national and international titles - all in one app and at a fixed monthly fee. Readly has subscribers in 50 countries and content available in 17 different languages. In collaboration with around 1,000 publishers worldwide, Readly is digitising the newspaper and magazine industry. In 2024, revenues amounted to SEK 725 million. For more information, please visit https://corporate.readly.com