COMPREHENSION
Listening holds up
A meta-analysis of 46 studies with 4,687 people found comprehension was comparable whether people listened to a text or read it.
Compare the waysWHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
Reading,
by ear.
Listening to a book is not cheating.
Compare the ways
46 STUDIESlistening vs reading
A review of 46 studies found that people who listened to a text understood it about as well as people who read it. Audiobooks and podcasts are now part of everyday life for many UK families.
At a glance
- Listening keeps the story
- Reading along adds little
- Together is most enjoyed
- Different routes to the same book
≈ 69%
UK households that listened to audiobooks
In a 2026 survey of 3,000 parents and carers of children aged 5 to 18, 69.2 percent of households listened to audiobooks. Stories and fiction were the most popular content.
FAMILIES · NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST
47%
Aged 8 to 18 who listened to audio
Of 110,114 children and young people surveyed in 2026, 47.3 percent listened to audiobooks, podcasts or both. Audiobook listening became less common with age.
YOUNG PEOPLE · NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Audio is already
on in many homes.
One figure from parents,
one from children and teenagers.
Of the young audiobook listeners, 50.3 percent said listening feels like reading and 36.6 percent said it got them interested in reading.
A QUICK COMPARISON
How does each way
compare with print?
Pick a way of taking in a text to see what research says, compared with reading the page alone. The bar shows how firm the evidence is.
Based on two meta-analyses by Virginia Clinton-Lisell (University of North Dakota). General information about research, not a learning assessment.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Ears and eyes
get you there.
For skilled readers, the route matters less
than many people assume.
READING ALONG
Text plus audio
Reading while listening gave only a trivial overall benefit in a review of 30 studies, and none when readers set their own pace.
See the numbers
FAMILIES
Stories at bedtime
In a 2026 UK survey of parents, around 7 in 10 households listened to audiobooks, and two thirds of families listening together did so at bedtime.
Ways to listen
FOUR WAYS TO TRY
Make room
for the ear.
The surveys and studies point to a few easy habits. None of them replaces print; they sit alongside it.
Listen together at bedtime
Enjoyment was highest when parents and children listened together: 93.5 percent, compared with under 88 percent listening alone.
Use the commute or the chores
Clinton-Lisell's work suggests listening can carry a book into time when sitting down to read is not possible.
Follow their interests
About half of young listeners said they would listen more if content better matched their interests or hobbies.
Rewind when you drift
In the studies, readers who could go back had a small edge, and modern players let listeners skip back and replay.
AN OLD IDEA
Talking books
came first.
Recorded books are not new. RNIB says its Talking Books service has run for more than eight decades and today offers over 40,000 fiction and non-fiction titles for adults and children, free of charge.
Audiobooks and podcasts do different jobs, says the National Literacy Trust: audiobooks were linked with imagination and immersion, podcasts with learning and exploring interests. Young people who used both reported the widest range of benefits.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
Audiobook questions
Is listening to an audiobook as good as reading?
For understanding, research suggests it is close. A meta-analysis of 46 studies with 4,687 participants found comprehension from listening comparable to reading for competent readers.
Does reading along with the audio help?
Only a little, on average. A review of 30 studies found a trivial overall benefit, mostly where the pace was set for the reader, and no reliable effect when readers chose their own pace.
Can audiobooks help reluctant readers?
They may be a way in. In the National Literacy Trust's 2026 survey, 36.6 percent of young audiobook listeners said listening had got them interested in reading.
How many UK families listen to audiobooks?
In a 2026 National Literacy Trust survey of 3,000 parents and carers, around 7 in 10 households (69.2 percent) listened to audiobooks.
Where can people with sight loss get audiobooks?
RNIB runs a free Talking Books service with over 40,000 titles, available as downloads, through smart speakers, or on DAISY CD and USB stick.
How do RNIB Talking Books reach readers?
By digital download, through an Alexa-enabled device, on DAISY CD (one book per disc) or on USB stick (three books per stick). RNIB says members can borrow up to six books at a time, delivered to the door free of charge.
Sources
Where the facts come from
- National Literacy Trust: Children and young people's audio listening in 2026
- National Literacy Trust: Audiobooks in the home in 2026
- Clinton-Lisell (2023): Does reading while listening to text improve comprehension compared to reading only? (University of North Dakota)
- Tech & Learning: Listen without guilt, audiobooks offer similar comprehension as reading
- National Literacy Trust: Audiobooks and literacy
- RNIB: Talking Books
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