Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS SURVEY REVEALS NATION'S READING HABITS

•A third of people (30%) read their magazines on the loo!
•Women’s magazines top of the titles list

The results of the largest ever survey of UK magazine subscribers have revealed that when it comes to taking time out to enjoy our favourite magazines, our resting places are certainly not confined to the sofa.

The survey by magazine subscriptions website magazinesbymail.net revealed that our favourite reading place is the bedroom, with more than 50% (52 per cent) of people opting for some bed time reading. Almost a third (30 per cent) say they retreat to the smallest room in the house and read their magazine in the loo! Parents say they grab the chance to catch up on the latest news while waiting to collect their children from school or classes, while Dads say they like to get some peace and quiet in the shed!

It seems banishing bathroom boredom with a favourite magazine may be a very British habit, with only one in 10 (12 per cent) of readers outside the UK stating the toilet is a favourite reading place.

Women’s magazines were the clear winner of the title of favourite subscription - proving to be by far the most popular topic amongst the four million subscribers surveyed. There’s also no place like home with house and home titles second on subscribers lists, followed closely by computers, cars and country titles.

When it comes to sport people across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are certainly football crazy with football titles proving twice as popular as rugby. Readers in Wales defy this trend however, with sports fans there twice as likely to subscribe to rugby magazines.

The results also provide an insight into different regional hobbies: readers in Guildford are the most likely to enjoy a spot of fishing, while those in Peterborough are keen to look to the skies with a subscription to a bird watching title.

Other interesting regional trends revealed by the survey are: Bristol proves itself to be a city of cyclists, while readers in Birmingham go crazy for golf. It seems that Britannia is still keen to rule the waves however, with twice as many people in the UK subscribing to boating titles than caravanning magazines.

People in London are the most likely to subscribe to a psychology publication, while people in Edinburgh are eager to know what the stars have in store, with more subscribers to astrological titles than any other city.

Nicola Rowe from magazinesbymail.net said “The survey reveals some marked variations in reading habits across the UK. However, it’s clear that whatever the subject, and wherever the chosen reading place may be, millions of people choose to keep up to date with their hobbies and interests by subscribing to a copy of their favourite magazine.”

To find out more about how to ensure that you never miss a copy of your favourite magazine, visit magazinesbymail.net where you can choose from 100's of titles to subscribe to.


Over four million magazine subscriptions were researched during June 2008. Over 7,000 people took part in the reading place habits survey in June 2008

Issued by:

Ruth Barker
Four Countries Communications
Email@ ruth@fourcountries.co.uk
Mobile: 07912648654
Tel: 0207 7499219