UK Publishers See Steep Decline in Younger Audiences

Image credit: Search Engine Journal

LONDON — United Kingdom publishers and digital platforms are experiencing a significant decline in younger audiences in absolute numbers, despite their proportional share of these demographics appearing relatively stable, according to new industry analysis.

The data suggests that while 18-34 year olds still represent a consistent percentage of overall audiences, the total volume of these younger readers engaging with traditional and digital media outlets is shrinking across the board.

Research from Similarweb indicated that individuals aged 18-34 constitute 29.5 percent of the average UK publisher audience, which is slightly above the 28 percent population benchmark reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

However, the actual number of younger readers has fallen sharply over three years. Popular publishers saw a 34.2 percent reduction in their younger audience, while premium publishers experienced a 30.7 percent drop, Similarweb reported.

Public service publishers, such as the BBC, also recorded a 16.9 percent decrease in their younger audience in real terms.

Digital platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Reddit and Google, also saw a 9.2 percent decline in their younger audience volume, despite maintaining a larger overall share.

Platforms currently hold 49.2 percent of the younger audience, which is 1.7 times the figure for publishers, according to the analysis.

The share of 18-34 year olds among premium publishers slipped by 3.0 percentage points over three years, while public service publishers saw a 2.6 percentage point decrease, and popular publishers experienced a 1.0 percentage point reduction.

Platforms recorded the largest drop in younger audience share, falling by 6.8 percentage points.

Harry Clarkson-Bennett, an analyst at Similarweb, stated that the data indicates younger audiences are not necessarily migrating to publisher or platform websites. Instead, they may be shifting towards apps and social feeds, which are more challenging to quantify.

The analysis also revealed a contrasting trend among older audiences on platforms, which grew by more than 10 percent in real terms during the same period.

Source: Search Engine Journal