According to a new report by the Pew Research Center’s (@pewresearch) Internet & American Life Project (@pewinternet), 43% of Americans age 16 and older read long-form digital text such as ebooks and magazines, and many say they’re reading more because books and other long-form material are in a digital format.
One-fifth of American adults (21%) report they’ve read an ebook in the past year; this number increased following a gift-giving season that saw a spike in the ownership of both tablet computers and ebook reading devices such as the original Kindles and Nooks. In mid-December 2011, 17% of American adults had reported they read an ebook in the previous year; by February, 2012, the share increased to 21%.
The average reader of ebooks says she’s read 24 books (the mean number) in the past 12 months, compared with an average of 15 books by a non-ebook consumer. For device owners, those who own ebook readers say they’ve read an average of 24 books in the previous year (vs. 16 books by those who don’t own that device). They report having read a median of 12 books (vs. 7 books by those who do not own the device.
· 30% of those who read e-content say they now spend more time reading, and owners of tablets and ebook readers particularly stand out as reading more now.
· The prevalence of ebook reading is markedly growing, but pbooks still dominate the world of book readers.
· People prefer ebooks to pbooks when they want speedy access and portability, but print wins out when people are reading to children and sharing books with others.
· Ebook reading happens across an array of devices, including smartphones.
· Those who read ebooks are more likely to be under age 50, have some college education, and live in households earning more than $50,000.
· 11% of all Americans age 16 and older – or 14% of those who have read a book in the past year – consume audiobooks.
· The majority of book readers prefer to buy rather than borrow.
· 61% of e-reading device owners said they purchased the most recent book they read, compared with 48% of all readers.
· Owners of e-reading devices are more likely than all Americans 16 and older to get book recommendations from people they knew (81% vs. 64%) and bookstore staff (31% vs. 23%).
· 26% of those who had read a book in the past 12 months said that what they enjoyed most was learning, gaining knowledge, and discovering information.
Also see Mike Shatzkin's (@MikeShatzkin) analysis in "A feast of data to interpret in new Pew survey of book readers about ebooks."
Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you plan your strategy for ebook (as well as pbook) publishing.
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