Let's Settle It: Does Listening To Audiobooks Count As 'Reading'?

About 40% of Brits hadn’t finished a book in the 12 months between 2024-2025, YouGov reported.

Of those who had, 30% listened to an audiobook; 18% had ticked titles off their list through headphones, without ever picking up a physical book.

Some people think that shouldn’t “count,” though. For instance, author Nathan Bransford said in his blog, “Consuming an audiobook is a fundamentally different activity than reading. We already have a word for it: LISTENING”. 

He also argued...