Pew Internet Releases New Report: “E-Reading Rises as Device Ownership Jumps”

From a Report Summary:

The proportion of Americans who read e-books is growing, but few have completely replaced print books for electronic versions.
The percentage of adults who read an e-book in the past year has risen to 28%, up from 23% at the end of 2012.
At the same time, about seven in ten Americans reported reading a book in print, up four percentage points after a slight dip in 2012, and 14% of adults listened to an audiobook.
[Our emphasis]  Though e-books are rising in popularity, print remains the foundation of Americans’ reading habits.
Most people who read e-books also read print books, and just 4% of readers are “e-book only.”
Audiobook listeners have the most diverse reading habits overall, while fewer print readers consume books in other formats.

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Who Was Surveyed? When Was the Survey Conducted?

The survey was conducted January 2-5, 2013 among a nationally representative sample of 1,005 adults ages 18 and older living in the continental United States.

Selected Findings and Charts From the Report

The January 2014 survey, conducted just after the 2013 holiday gift-giving season, produced evidence that e-book reading devices are spreading through the population. Some 42% of adults now own tablet computers, up from 34% in September. And the number of adults who own an e-book reading device like a Kindle or Nook reader jumped from 24% in September to 32% after the holidays.
Overall, 50% of Americans now have a dedicated handheld device–either a tablet computer like an iPad, or an e-reader such as a Kindle or Nook–for reading e-content. That figure has grown from 43% of adults who had either of those devices in September.

87% of e-book readers also read a print book in the past 12 months, and 29% listened to an audiobook.

84% of audiobook listeners also read a print book in the past year, and 56% also read an e-book.

A majority of print readers read only in that format, although 35% of print book readers also read an e-book and 17% listened to an audiobook.

42% of adults own a tablet. Most e-book readers who own tablets say they read e-books on that device (78%), with 44% saying they do so at least weekly. Male e-book readers who own tablets are more likely than women to read e-books on these devices (88% vs 72%).

Some 32% of adults own an e-reader like a Kindle or Nook. Unsurprisingly, most e-book readers who own dedicated e-reading devices such as Kindles or Nooks say they do read e-books on that device (87% say they do this, and 53% do so at least weekly.) Women are more likely than men to have read a book on their e-readers in the past year: 77% of men in this group read e-books on those devices, compared with 93% of women.

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