How many people actually read contracts?

Asked by: Dr. Ronny Lindgren  |  Last update: August 19, 2025
Score: 4.4/5 (38 votes)

Only 16% of Employees Read Their Employment Contracts Entirely Before Signing. Learn from this article how many employees read their contracts before signing, rejected an offer after reading them, and more.

How many people read contracts?

Shockingly, more than half (55%) of the people questioned admitted they read their contracts to an extent but don't always understand what they're agreeing to. More than one in ten (13%) said they "hardly” or “never” read their contracts at all.

How many people actually read the TOS?

The study concluded that only 9% of people actually read terms and conditions, with that number plummeting to 3% among younger people from ages 18-34. According to our data, the most common reason people don't want to read such agreements is because they're too wordy.

Why are contracts so hard to read?

One obvious reason is because legal documents cover complex concepts. The more complex an idea, the more specific and detailed lawyers have to be in their writing in order to capture all the nuances of that complexity and support it with correct terminology—not to mention relevant precedents and citations.

Do people actually read terms of service?

A Deloitte survey of 2,000 consumers in the U.S found that 91% of people consent to legal terms and services conditions without reading them. For younger people, ages 18-34 the rate is even higher with 97% agreeing to conditions before reading.

Four Critical Deal Terms You Must Read In Every Contract

25 related questions found

What percentage of people actually read privacy policies?

Only about one-in-five adults overall say they always (9%) or often (13%) read a company's privacy policy before agreeing to it. (Pew) Plus, 63% of Americans admit that they know very little, or nothing, about which laws and regulations are currently in place to safeguard their privacy.

What percentage of users read terms and conditions?

Just 9% of adults say they always read a company's privacy policy before agreeing to the terms and conditions, while an additional 13% say they do this often.

Should you always read a contract?

Risks of not reading your contracts in full

The language in contracts can often be confusing however the consequences of signing without reading every word can be dire. If you don't read your contract in full, you might end up agreeing to something you don't understand or even agree with.

Why is legalese so hard to read?

Among the features identified as more common in legal documents, one stood out as making the texts harder to read: long definitions inserted in the middle of sentences. Linguists have previously shown that this type of structure, known as center-embedding, makes text much more difficult to understand.

Why do lawyers say any and all?

One definition of "all" is "any whatever." Id., p 71. In other words, "any" is broad enough to include "all," and "all" can mean any one. Even more convincing is Black's Law Dictionary (6th ed), p 94, which de- fines "any" as follows: "Some, one out of many; an indefinite number.

Do terms of service hold up in court?

Even prominent notices that there is a TOS will not work. In the Nguyen case, the plaintiff initiated a California false advertising and deceptive practice case against Barnes and Noble over the purchase of a laptop.

How many words per minute could JFK read?

In order to aid him in gathering information, from 1954 through 1955 Jack took a speed reading course. By the end of the course, he was able to read 1,200 words per minute.

What is the most read in the world?

The Holy Bible

The 'Holy Bible' holds the title for the most-read book in the world.

What is the #1 rule of contracting?

There is a very basic concept that gives rise to this first rule. Even the best contract drafted by a team of legal experts will be of little use if the party with whom you are dealing is either unwilling or unable, even with the best of intentions, to perform their obligations.

How do you read contracts fast?

It can be helpful to make an outline, summary, diagram, chart, or flowchart to illustrate your understanding of a contract. Lawyers frequently outline or summarize contracts for easy reference, and find these can also be helpful as a negotiation tool.

How long would it take to read all user agreements?

But there's a larger problem with this approach: reading an average American's digital contracts would take almost 250 hours a year. That burden, if anyone took it seriously, would be exhausting.

Why is legalese so confusing?

A new study on 'legalese' suggests this convoluted language acts to convey a sense of authority in legal documents. The researchers also found that even non-lawyers use legalese when asked to write laws. Legal documents are notoriously difficult to understand, even for lawyers.

Is law school more reading or writing?

In law school, you will be reading and writing a ton.

So you can crush all the course work to come. Rather than essays, you'll be primarily writing case briefs/summaries, which break down and analyze a particular legal case.

Why is law so hard to understand?

Law school is challenging because of the dense written materials and the ambiguous nature of the law. This ambiguity makes learning the law an intellectual challenge few have the patience for. But sometimes, the hardest things are also the most rewarding.

How much does it cost to read a contract?

The cost of a contract review can vary widely depending on several factors, including the complexity of the document and the lawyer's expertise. Generally, you can expect to pay between $100 to $500 per hour. For a basic review, the average flat fee might be around $450 to $3,000.

Is not reading a contract a defense?

Failure to read the contract is not a defense. A person who signs a contract is presumed to know what it says and is bound to the terms they would have known about had they read it.

How do you read a contract effectively?

How to read a Contract : A Step-by-Step Guide
  1. 1- Understand the contract structure: ...
  2. 2- Familiarize yourself with the different sections: ...
  3. 3- Follow the "three passes" approach: ...
  4. 4- Watch out for missing provisions: ...
  5. 5- Be cautious of potential pitfalls: ...
  6. 6- Fill in any blanks: ...
  7. 7- Consider other incorporated documents:

Who actually reads terms and conditions?

It seems most of us don't read the terms and conditions of some relatively important, legally binding contracts before signing up. In one study only 8% of people read a bank account contract, 19% a car rental contract and 25% a dry-cleaning contract before committing to a deal.

Does anyone read license agreements?

The short answer is no. Whether free or paid, use software, and you have to agree to pages of legalese. So-called End User License Agreements or “EULAs” are ubiquitous. They are so common, in software and on the web, that many users ignore them and blindly click “Agree” without understanding what they're agreeing to.

Do people actually read privacy policies?

Only one-in-five Americans say they always or often read a company's privacy policy before agreeing to it, and even fewer say they understand a great deal of what they read, according to a Pew Research Center study cited in the paper. “People are confused by those terms of service and those privacy policies,” Dr.