UK journalists in the 2020s: Who they are, how they work, and what they think

This report is based on a survey conducted between September and November 2023 with a representative sample of 1,130 UK journalists, a follow-up to a similar survey in 2015 on which this previous report was based. The survey was carried out as part of the third wave of the Worlds of Journalism Study project.

Our analysis of this survey data and more than 200 other relevant sources has produced numerous findings. This report documents increased precarity in the profession with a shift away from permanent contracts and growth in the number of freelancers, lingering inequalities in terms of pay and seniority, the continued adoption of new technologies that bring benefits but also exacerbate risks, and changing conceptions of roles, ethics, and journalism’s relationship with society.