If people can’t read It, why are you still writing it?

I recently attended a cross-industry workshop hosted by Copper Consultancy focused on the future of infrastructure communication. While the room was filled with brilliant minds from across the energy, transport, and water sectors, one specific insight stayed with me: as an industry, we are often talking to ourselves, rather than the people we serve.

​In the water sector, we are comfortable with complexity. We speak the language of "asset management periods," "catchment strategies," and "parts per billion." We view these terms as precise and professional. But new research suggests that for a vast majority of the public, this language isn't just confusing—it’s a wall.

​The Statistic That Should Change Everything

​The most sobering data point discussed at the workshop centered on national literacy levels. While we often assume our "average" customer is reading at an adult level, the reality is a stark wake-up call.

​The average reading age across the UK is just nine years old.

​This isn't an isolated statistic or a regional quirk. It is a national reality reconfirmed by the 2011 Skills for Life Survey and more recent 2024/25 studies from the NHS, King’s College London, and the National Literacy Trust. In fact, the NHS now specifically designs its public health leaflets for a nine-year-old reading level to ensure they are universally accessible.

​For context, the minimum reading age required to "function effectively" in modern life is typically cited as 11 to 14. As an industry, we are frequently communicating at a level that is five or six years ahead of our audience.

​The Empathy Gap in Utilities

​If our average customer has the reading age of a Year 5 student, then every time we issue a technical drought notice, a complex bill explanation, or a corporate sustainability report, we aren't just communicating—we are inadvertently excluding.

​Trust is the most valuable currency in the water sector right now. But trust cannot exist without understanding. If a customer cannot grasp why their bills are changing or how we are protecting their local environment because our explanation is buried in "corporate-speak," they won't trust the outcome. They will feel ignored.

​Meeting People Where They Are

​We are starting to see shifts in how utilities bridge this gap. One of the most interesting developments in our sector is the move toward platforms like TikTok.

​To some, a utility company on TikTok might seem like a gimmick. In reality, it represents the most sophisticated form of communication we have. Why? Because it forces radical simplicity. It demands that we move away from text-heavy PDFs and toward visual storytelling that resonates across all demographic strata. It’s about meeting the public where they actually spend their time, in a language they actually use.

​A New Standard for Communication

​This isn't about "dumbing down" our work. It’s about accessibility and respect.

​It is a sign of respect to provide information that is easy to digest. It is a sign of respect to ensure that a busy parent, a stressed retiree, or a young adult can glance at a message from their water provider and know exactly what is happening without needing a technical dictionary.

​Moving forward, I am challenging our sector to apply anew lens to our stakeholder engagement:

- The "Plain English" Test: Stripping out the jargon that has become our crutch.‍

- Visual-First Messaging: If we can’t explain a concept with a simple diagram or a 30-second video, we haven’t understood it well enough ourselves.

- ​Radical Empathy: Acknowledging that the burden of understanding is on the sender, not the receiver.

​The water sector provides the most essential service on earth. It’s time we talked about it in a way that everyone—regardless of their reading age—can value, understand, and ultimately, support.

‍