The Daily Mail, The Sun and The Guardian are the most-read daily newspapers across the UK, according to an annual report ana­lysing news consumption by Ofcom. 

Data by the regulator includes findings from a survey conducted between March and April 2022. 

It then compared find­ings with the same period in 2018, 2019 and 2020. 

It also revealed partial performance data for weekdays and weekend editions of The Guardian, Observer, The Sun and The Times, all of which no longer release monthly circulation figures. 

Publishers and wholesalers enforce contingency plans following Queen’s death

The Daily Mail remains the most widely read print news title overall, with its weekday and Sat­urday editions reporting a steady increase in con­sumption from an average 31% between 2018 to 2020, to 35% in 2022. 

The title is also the most read among Sunday newspapers, with a consumer base of 22%, up from an average 20% reported between 2018 and 2020. 

On weekdays and Saturday, The Sun came out second, with 20% of respondents picking up a copy at the newsstand between March and April of this year. 

However, The Sun on Sunday recorded the big­gest drop, with only 9% of respondents choosing the title, compared to 13%, on average, between 2018 and 2020. 

As for The Guardian, the report placed it as the third-most-read paid-for newspaper, with 15% of consumers picking up a copy on weekdays and Saturday, generating a 3% rise compared to 2018. 

Its sister Sunday title, the Observer, reported a marginal increase to 6% from 5% in 2020. 

Royal funeral newspaper editions spark sales increase of up to 70%

For both The Times and Sunday Times, 12% of respondents trusted the titles as weekday and weekend sources of news. 

The report highlighted that the percentage of print newspaper readers has dropped by 14% since before the pandemic. 

Sixty-eight per cent of consumers said they choose print newspapers because of their qual­ity, while 67% find them trustworthy, and 66% consider them to be an important platform. 

The survey monitored the habits of participants from different age groups, including respondents aged 12 to 15. 

It found, on average, around 41% of those over 55 years old consume news via print titles, compared to 15% for those aged 16 to 54. 

The report said the reach of print and online newspapers decreased between 2020 (47%) and 2022 (38%). 

This drop has been attributed to declines in print that have likely been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Read more news and advice about the newspaper and magazines category and click here for the latest ABC circulation figures