Reading data

The most popular books genres in the UK

It turns out we're a nation hooked on crime and thrillers, with over a third of Brits reading these genres regularly. Mystery and drama follow in third and fourth position, with 34.9% and 32.9% of the population selecting these as their favoured genres.  Read more

Literacy remains one of the UK's biggest challenges. One in six adults lacks basic literacy skills* and, as a result, faces a high risk of unemployment, poverty, poor health and crime**. Add to this the fact that low literacy is set to cost the UK economy £32.1 billion by 2025*** and you start to see the immensity of the challenge we face.

The number of adults in the US reading novels and short stories has hit a new low, with the decline of almost 8% in the last five years seen mainly among women, African Americans and younger adults, according to a major new survey.

Reading ebooks and print are on the decline and everyone involved in retail and the publishing industry are trying to figure out why. Are people simply not reading for pleasure anymore and consuming original Netflix content or listening to Spotify?  Read more

Women are used to living off scraps that fall from the table. Whether we're being patronised by politicians touting for our votes, or being told by advertisers we're "worth" a £3 bottle of shampoo, we have learned to take any crumb of grudging appreciation. And we even have a day each year - 8 March, International Women's Day - to feel special.  Read more