Reading for pleasure is in steep decline – and the National Year Of Reading is on a mission to change that

If you’ve been looking for a gentle nudge to get back into reading, 2026 is your moment – because this week, the National Year Of Reading officially launched in Edinburgh and it arrived with a royal twist: Dennis The Menace brought to life, 150 local schoolchildren joining a Beano storytelling workshop and Her Majesty The Queen sketching her very own Gnasher. Yes, really.

The event brought together authors, publishers, charities, government bodies and ambassadors to kickstart the campaign’s nationwide mission to reconnect the country with the joy of reading.

Here’s everything you need to know (and why Stylist is very on board and a proud supporter of this initiative). 

It’s a UK‑wide initiative led by the Department For Education and the National Literacy Trust, created to tackle a growing issue: as a society, we’re reading less and we’re enjoying reading less.

According to new National Literacy Trust research released for the launch, reading for pleasure among young people has fallen to its lowest level since 2005. Just one in three 8‑ to 18‑year‑olds say they enjoy reading in their spare time, with teenage boys affected most — in 2025, only 25% of boys reported enjoying reading, compared with 39% of girls.

These figures matter, because reading is linked to everything from career prospects, imagination and wellbeing to confidence, creativity and long‑term learning.

To help address this, the campaign is urging people to “Go All In” – encouraging everyone to dive into their interests through reading and discover how it can unlock the things they already love, whether that’s music, food, football, fashion or film. There’s no ‘right’ way to read – the goal is simply to find something that resonates with you. That could be an audiobook, a comic, a football report or even a recipe. 

At Stylist, we’ve always believed in the power of reading: to inspire, to challenge, to comfort and to expand our worlds. We love championing authors and in 2026 we’ll be marking key calendar moments such as World Book Day, so watch this space.

We especially love that the National Year Of Reading is all about rediscovering the joy of reading and reframing what ‘counts’ as reading. Whether it’s a 600‑page novel, a nostalgic comic strip or the audiobook that makes your commute bearable, it all matters. Because reading takes many forms and every single one of them counts. 

• Become a Go All In volunteer – whatever your level of experience or schedule, there are plenty of ways you can volunteer during the National Year Of Reading. Discover ways to take small, flexible actions in your community and create a lasting culture of reading as part of everyday life.
• Participate in reading-related events – from national moments to local reading weeks and literacy festivals, there’s something happening everywhere during the National Year Of Reading 2026.
• You can join the National Year Of Reading 2026 mailing list and stay connected to the movement that’s putting reading back at the heart of everyday life.