Copywriter Survey 2026
573 respondents · Fieldwork February · Published July 2026
What UK commercial writers charged, how they worked and what they thought about AI in 2026.
Download the full report (PDF)Headline findings
Use and concern rise together
Almost three-quarters of copywriters now use generative AI. The share rating their concern at 7 out of 10 or higher has nearly doubled in two years.
74%, up from 69% in 2025
Still climbing
The median freelance day rate is £440, up 10% in two years. Clients are paying more for strategy, not less.
£430 in 2025 (median)
Most would switch it off
Given a button that erased generative AI from the world, 64% would press it. A year earlier it was 54%.
54% in 2025
The widest we've recorded
Men earn a median 31% more than women, the biggest like-for-like gap in the survey’s history. Only copywriters who mix freelance and employed work closed it.
No median published in 2025; the mean gap was 21% in both years