Three in ten U.S. adults are using e-readers

March 8th, 2012

Kindle To some it may seem like we’ve always had them, but the world of eReaders is still fairly new.

But, as Apple releases its 3rd iPad to the world, it seems like they are here to stay. This past summer, 15% of Americans said they use an electronic reader device such as a Kindle, iPad or Nook to read books while 85% did not.

Fast forward seven months, and that number has almost doubled – now almost three in ten U.S. adults (28%) are using one of these devices to read books while 72% are not.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,056 adults surveyed online between February 6 and 13, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Unlike some new technology, there is not a great divide by age when it comes to eReader use. Among Echo Boomers (ages 18-35) and Gen Xers (aged 36-47) 30% currently use an eReader and that number just drops slightly to 28% among Matures (ages 67 and older) and 24% of Baby Boomers (ages 48-66).

I’ve been using a Kindle for several years now and do the majority of my reading on it. But I have noticed that some friends with e-readers are not as addicted to theirs as I am to mine. But the content of books have always been what’s most important to me, not their form.

But I’d be willing to bet that when writing shifted from words carved on rocks to paper, someone complained about the lack of permanence in the new medium.

In the future, though, this study suggests you’ll see significantly more people reading on Nooks, Kindles, and tablets.

Looking ahead, 13% of Americans say they are likely to purchase an eReader in the next six months, while 77% are unlikely to do so and 10% are not at all sure. In July, 15% of Americans said they were going to purchase an eReader in the next six months.

Reading and Buying Books
The rise of eReaders may actually be a positive for publishing companies who are embracing electronic books. Among those who are currently using an eReader, three in ten (29%) say they typically read more than 20 books in an average year, while one in five (21%) say they read between 11 and 20 books and one-quarter (24%) read between 6 and 10 books.

So, almost three-quarters of eReader users are reading 6 or more books in an average year. Among those who do not use an eReader, the numbers are reversed as one in five (18%) typically reads no books in an average year, one in five (19%) typically reads between 1 and 2 books and one in five (21%) typically reads between 3 and 5 books.

So, three in five non eReader users are reading 5 or fewer books on average in a year.

Purchase behavior is similar. Over one-third of those who do not use an eReader (36%) say they do not purchase any books in a typical year while one in five eReader users purchase over 20 (20%) and between 11 and 20 books (21%) in a typical year.

So what?
Is the printed book dead? Probably not dead, but it is becoming easier to imagine a world without as many printed books. Whether it is Apple, Barnes and Noble or Amazon driving this change, the change is coming and they are gladly adding new devices to make Americans look for the next and greatest one.

TABLE 1 USE E-READER “Do you use an electronic reader device, such as a Kindle, an iPad or a Nook, to read books?”
Base: All adults
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	Region
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	Echo Boomers (18-35)	Gen. X (36-47)	Baby Boomers (48-66)	Matures (67+)
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Yes	8	15	28	30	30	24	28
No	92	85	72	70	70	76	72
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February

TABLE 2 LIKELY TO GET AN E-READER “How likely do you think you will be to get an e-reader device within the next six months?”
Base: Adults who do not use an e-reader
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	Region
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	Echo Boomers (18-35)	Gen. X (36-47)	Baby Boomers (48-66)	Matures (67+)
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Likely (NET)	12	15	13	13	16	14	8
Very likely	3	4	3	3	2	4	5
Somewhat likely	9	11	10	10	15	10	4
Not likely (NET)	80	76	77	77	71	79	80
Not very likely	21	25	2	28	22	28	33
Not at all likely	59	50	50	49	49	51	47
Not at all sure	8	10	10	8	13	7	11
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February

TABLE 3 BOOKS READ IN A YEAR “How many books do you typically read in an average year? If you are not sure, please use your best estimate.”
Base: All adults
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	e-Reader
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	Uses	Does not use
	%	%	%	%	%
0	9	15	14	2	18
1-2	14	14	15	7	19
3-5	20	20	19	16	21
6-10	16	15	19	24	16
11-20	21	16	14	21	11
21+	19	20	19	29	15
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February

TABLE 4 BOOKS PURCHASED IN PAST YEAR “How many books have you purchased in the past year? If you are not sure, please use your best estimate.”
Base: All adults
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	e-Reader
	Total 2010	Total 2011	Total 2012	Uses	Does not use
	%	%	%	%	%
0	21	32	29	10	36
1-2	17	17	15	11	17
3-5	22	17	19	21	18
6-10	17	15	14	18	13
11-20	11	10	12	21	9
21+	12	9	11	20	8
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; The 2011 data was collected in July and the 2012 data in February

Three in ten U.S. adults are using e-readers

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