Survey: 54% of US Adults Read eBooks, Yet Print Remains the Major Player
Publishing
April 17, 2014 – The ways in which Americans can and do read books have undergone radical shifts over the past few years with the introduction of e-books. In addition to print, today we read books on e-readers, tablets, smartphones, as well as personal computers.
According to a Harris Poll of 2,234 adults surveyed online between March 12 and 17, 2014, a majority of Americans (54%) currently read e-books, including two-thirds of Millennials (66%). Millennials are generally defined as young adults, ages 18-29 (Pew). Findings:
On Average, American Read 17 Books Annually
- When asked to consider any format – not just hardcovers and paperbacks, but electronic formats as well – a strong majority of Americans (84%) say they read at least one book in an average year, with over a third (36%) saying they read more than ten.
- On average, Americans report reading roughly 17 books per year.
- Two-thirds of Americans (65%) purchased at least one book in the past year, with one in ten (9%) purchasing over 20 and an average of over 8 books purchased.
- Women purchased more books in the last year, on average, than men (10 vs. 7, respectively).
Print Still Predominates
- Nearly half of Americans (46%) say they only read printed books;
- An additional 16% saying they read more print books than e-books;
- 17% read about the same number of print copy and e-books;
- 15% read more e-books than print;
- 6% read exclusively in the electronic format.
READERSHIP - HARD COPY VS. ELECTRONICALLY
"Currently, how many books would you say you read in hard copy form
(e.g., hardcover, paperback) versus electronically (e.g., on a smartphone, tablet, e-reader)?"
|
|
Total |
Generation |
Gender |
||||
|
Millennials |
Gen Xers |
Baby Boomers |
Matures |
Male |
Female |
||
|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
I only read hard copy books |
46 |
34 |
46 |
52 |
57 |
44 |
48 |
|
I read more hard copy books than "e-books" |
16 |
21 |
14 |
14 |
17 |
15 |
17 |
|
I read about the same number of hard copy and "e-books" |
17 |
26 |
16 |
13 |
9 |
21 |
14 |
|
I read more "e-books" than hard copy books |
15 |
14 |
18 |
15 |
11 |
14 |
15 |
|
I only read "e-books" |
6 |
5 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
|
Read more e-books than hard copy (NET) |
21 |
20 |
25 |
21 |
17 |
21 |
21 |
|
Read any e-books (NET) |
54 |
66 |
54 |
48 |
43 |
56 |
52 |
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
People Who Read E-Books Read More
- Those who read either more or exclusively in the e-book format are more likely to read over 20 books in an average year (30%) than either those who read more/only in hard copy (18%) or those who read in both formats equally (21%). They also report a higher average readership per year than either hard copy hardliners or equal-opportunity readers (22.5 books vs. 16 and 15, respectively).
- Those favoring e-books purchased roughly twice as many (14 vooks) as those preferring hard copies, who purchased an average of less than seven.
Millennials Read More than Their Elders
- Approximately half of Americans (51%) say they read the same amount in the past six months as they did before, while 23% read less in the past six months and fewer than two in ten (17%) read more.
- Younger Americans are often thought to be behind declining readership nationally, but Millennials (21%) were more likely than their elders (14% Gen Xers; 15% Baby Boomers and Seniors) to have read more in the past six months.
Source: Harris Interactive, Power(ed) Readers: Americans Who Read More Electronically Read More, Period, April 17, 2014.
