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[/responsive]Americans love to pick up a good book. Even with so many new platforms on which to read, close to half of all American adults say they only read books in printed form.
The findings were reported last week in Print in the Mix and are based on a new Harris Interactive poll on reading habits.
Print still dominates, the article continues, noting these facts:
- Nearly half of Americans (46%) say they only read print books.
- An additional 16% saying they read more print books than e-books.
- Seventeen percent (17%) read about the same number of print copy and e-books, while 15% read more and 6% read exclusively in the electronic format.
The survey is intriguing in that it shows readers prefer the printed medium even with the fast adoption of digital devices. And an additional benefit of the digital version seems to be an increase in book sales overall.
“While some may lament the introduction of the e-Reader as a death knell for books, the opposite is probably true,” according to a Harris Interactive new release.
“E-Reader users are also more likely to buy books,” the article continues. “One-third of Americans (32%) say they have not purchased any books in the past year compared to only 6% of e-Reader users who say the same… e-Reader users are more likely to have bought, or downloaded books, as 17% purchased between 11 and 20 and 17% purchased 21 or more books in the past year.”
In a surprising twist, the survey reported that Millennials read more than their elders.
“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 Matures) to have read more in the past six months,” according to the article in Print in the Mix.
To quote from the Harris Interactive article: “There will always be a place for books in hard cover or paperback. But, there must also be a place for reading devices as well. Readers are quickly catching on to this wave as have the booksellers. This is a huge transition time for publishing companies and how they adapt will determine who is still standing ten years from now.”
What are you reading lately?
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