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United Kingdom
It may be surprising in this digital age, but around 52% of UK adults still read print magazines . (1) And it’s not a generational issue either, with 7 out of 10 millennials reading print magazines (2) for leisure and entertainment.
So, in an age dominated by digital screens, where we seemingly have all the information and images we could want or need at our fingertips, why do so many of us still choose to read magazines in their printed format?
- We find magazines reliable.
Trust appears to be a significant factor, particularly when it comes to current affairs magazines. In a world where “fake news” seems increasingly prevalent, magazines are considered a reliable source of information. The Ofcom News Consumption Survey (3) concluded that “ when assessed in terms of quality, accuracy, reliability and fairness, magazines continue to outperform other platforms .”
- Magazines give us time to concentrate without distractions
When we read a magazine, 58% of us become fully engaged in what we are reading or seeing. This contrasts with the 35% (4) who remain fully focused when reading online, when we are much more prone to multitasking or getting lost in a maze of links that distract us from our main interest.
A printed magazine, on the other hand, has been edited and designed with care and skill, distilling the most interesting and useful information for us and guiding us through it in a focused and linear way. Journalist Ferris Jab (5) describes magazines as “ offering a generous framework for words and images, which means more opportunities for visual references that help people establish a sense of progress in a text and remember where in the publication they read something .” Of course, we can bookmark the pages of a digital magazine, but how many of us will ever look at that bookmark again? We are usually too busy with the countless links that lead us to more information.
- Magazines capture our senses
The feel and weight of the magazine in your hands, the unmistakable sound of the paper as you turn the pages, the smell of the ink on the paper, the visual pleasure of the design with juxtaposed texts and photographs – magazines offer a multidimensional visual experience that, according to an article in The Psychologist , can improve memory and depth of understanding.
Research by psychologist Kate Garland (5) suggests that print is more effective than digital in helping us achieve depth of understanding: “ We found that when reading on paper, people began to ‘know’ the material more quickly over time. It took longer and required more repeated trials to reach that state of knowledge [in the case of reading on a computer…] .”
- Magazines create a learning mindset
Psychological studies also suggest that readers approach the printed word with a greater predisposition to learn than a screen version. Ferris Jabr believes that the characteristics of a magazine “ facilitate the formation of a coherent mental map of the text. In contrast, most screens, e-readers, smartphones, and tablets interfere with the intuitive navigation of a text and prevent people from mapping the journey in their minds.”
- Printed magazines can fulfill many functions
As a physical object, a magazine is something we can relate to on many levels. Matt Hayler, senior lecturer in contemporary literature and digital cultures at the University of Birmingham, says: “ A magazine is something you can cut out, a magazine is something you don’t mind leaving on a train or in a doctor’s office, you’ll use it as a cup holder or a fly swatter… there’s something very functional about a magazine .”
- Printed magazines encourage us to spend time away from screens.
When we choose to read a print magazine, we give ourselves permission to take a break from the digital screens that seem to increasingly dominate our lives, both at work and outside of it. We can make ourselves a coffee and sit in our favorite armchair for half an hour, silently reading an article or browsing the pages, perhaps momentarily forgetting that the distractions of the digital world exist.
These are six reasons why people still read magazines, but you can have your own—tell us about them!
- Insights | NatWest Business
- Is reading a printed magazine good for you? (pulsemagazine.co.uk)
- News Consumption in the UK: 2020 (ofcom.org.uk)
- Magazine industry calls on brands to pay more attention to attention (marketingweek.com)
- https://www.bps.org.uk/volume-30/january-2017/why-magazines-matter
Translated and adapted from Love Paper UK.
Find more sustainability data (with source citations) on paper products and electronic communications here .
Two Sides Team,
