As a journal editor, I have just checked the stats for 10 papers
I am handling.

68 review invites sent
13 accepted
32 declined
23 no response.

Finding reviewers is getting harder and harder, and peer review needs everyone to engage for it to work.

@AcademicChatter

After many many responses to this tweet, I think views of peer review might fall into four classes, very roughly arranged by career stage (of course, exceptions abound – all generalisations are bad):
 
Very early (PhD/PD): how can we help and get experience?

(1/4)

Early/mid: very high pressure to publish and teach, likely also very busy family life: this is an extra unfair demand, we need recognition (maybe pay, maybe not), and we don’t feel we get it from journals or our employers

(2/4)

Mid/late: we have contributed to the system as authors, reviewers, maybe as editors ourselves. It’s not perfect but we see it as part of our job now

(3/4)

Late (sometimes): peer-review? oh I am much too busy and important for that. BTW publish my papers anyway

As a final thought, of course the pandemic has put additional pressure on everyone, but these trends predated this awful time.

(4/4)