One in four UK adults rarely pick up a book to read for pleasure, according to a poll.

It reveals that 25% of people have picked up a book only once or less in the past six months.

Around one in 12 of these (8%) never read for pleasure, the survey, commissioned by Quick Reads, found.

reading

Just over one in 10 (11%) said they read once a year or less, and 6% said they picked up a book once every six months.

Of those that did not pick up a book on a regular basis, two in five (40%) said they preferred to spend their time doing something else, with 29% suggesting that they were short of time, and 26% saying they do not enjoy reading very much.

But the poll also suggests that many people gained a number of benefits from reading.

Of the adults who ever read for pleasure, more than half (53%) said it made them feel more relaxed, and 61% said it helped them switch off from everyday life.

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The findings were published to mark the launch of Quick Reads new set of bite-size books, which aim to get more people reading.

Andy McNab, who has penned one of the new books, called 'Today Everything Changes', said: "I know what people mean when they say reading a book can feel daunting and intimidating.

"I had the reading age of an 11-year-old when I went into the army at 16 but learning to read opened up so many opportunities for me.

"I feel passionate about the work Quick Reads does - reading the bite-sized books gives people such a confidence boost and once you've read one, in time, you can go on to read anything you want to."

The YouGov poll questioned 2,059 adults between 25-28 January.
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