Recent demonstrations by far-right groups in Dover and Portsmouth have highlighted a growing concern over declining public engagement with political and social issues, a trend some experts link to changes in how younger generations consume information. The protests, organized by masked participants demanding nationalist and exclusionary policies, gained limited traction among younger audiences, according to a recent YouGov poll, raising questions about the implications of a broader societal shift in attention and literacy.
The YouGov survey found that 53% of respondents aged 18 to 24 lacked a clear opinion on whether the demonstrations represented a legitimate form of protest. Additionally, 43% of people across all age groups reported either being unaware of or not following the events. Analysts suggest that this level of disengagement may partly stem from changes in media consumption habits, particularly among younger generations who increasingly rely on rapid, fragmentary visual content from platforms like TikTok.
On TikTok, users can scroll through hundreds of short videos in a matter of minutes, often shifting focus from serious issues to entertainment with minimal critical reflection. This pattern contrasts sharply with the traditional, more immersive reading of books or long-form journalism, which provides context and historical perspective vital for understanding complex social phenomena. Commentators note that familiarity with historical and political contexts often informs public responses to contemporary events, such as the recent far-right demonstrations, which displayed iconography and rhetoric reminiscent of past extremist movements.
This concern over declining reading habits is explored in depth in the recent book *The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-Literate Society*, by Times columnist James Marriott. The book draws on data from organizations like the UK’s National Literacy Trust, which reports a 36% decline in young people who enjoy reading for pleasure over the past two decades. Similar findings have been echoed by the Reading Agency, which reported that 35% of adults identified as “lapsed readers,” having abandoned regular recreational reading.
The phenomenon is not limited to the UK. An article in The Atlantic highlighted how some younger people view reading as an unfamiliar activity, with educators observing that students may be less capable or willing to engage with sustained texts. Marriott’s work also notes the impact of the decline of local newspapers—over 320 closures in Britain between 2009 and 2019—on public awareness, emphasizing that many individuals can now avoid exposure to news entirely.
This erosion of literary habits is seen by some as undermining democratic engagement. With fewer people absorbing detailed, analytical accounts, misinformation and simplistic narratives can more easily dominate public discourse. Critics point to political figures such as former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose communication style eschews complex argumentation in favor of repetitive assertions that appeal to emotions rather than reasoned debate.
Marriott argues that the rise of mass literacy and mass democracy are closely linked historical developments, and questions prevail about whether democratic societies can thrive as traditional reading declines. Meanwhile, far-right groups, populists, and other provocative actors leverage the fragmented media environment to gain visibility, often blending their messages with unrelated, attention-grabbing content. This dynamic risks normalizing extremist views and obscuring their historical significance for many viewers.
The consequences of this shift remain uncertain, but the concern is clear: as reading diminishes, so too may the public’s capacity for critical engagement with the issues that underpin democratic life.