From the press release (Blockquotes omitted):
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).
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.
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TABLE 1 USE E-READER “Do you use an electronic reader device, such as a Kindle, an iPad or a Nook, to read books?” |
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Base: All adults |
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|
Total 2010
|
Total 2011
|
Total 2012
|
Region |
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|
Echo Boomers (18-35) |
Gen. X (36-47) |
Baby Boomers (48-66) |
Matures (67+) |
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|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
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 |
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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?” |
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Base: Adults who do not use an e-reader |
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|
|
Total 2010
|
Total 2011
|
Total 2012
|
Region |
|||
|
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 |
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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.” |
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Base: All adults |
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|
|
Total 2010 |
Total 2011 |
Total 2012 |
e-Reader |
|
|
Uses |
Does not use |
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|
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
|
|
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 |
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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.” |
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Base: All adults |
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|
|
Total 2010 |
Total 2011 |
Total 2012 |
e-Reader |
|
|
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 |
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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between February 6 and 13, 2012 among 2,056 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
I wish that these people had crunched their data a bit differently.
For example, the data shows that 28 percent of all adults use ereaders (Table 1). It also shows that 14 percent of all adults read 0 books in a year (Table 3). Therefore, I deduce that 58 percent of all adults read paper books only.
Therefore, I deduce that 32.6% of adults who read books are reading them on electronic devices.
Table 2 is also annoying. it says that 13 percent of ‘adults who do not use an ereader’ are likely to buy one this year. But ‘adults who don’t use an ereader’ includes the 14 percent of adults who don’t read at all. My guess is that people who don’t read are unlikely to buy an ereader. If I am doing the math correctly, this means that 16% of adults who currently read paper books only are likely to get an ereader this year.
If all of this is correct, and these people do buy ereaders, then by the end of 2012 the population will be divide up into the following groups:
14% don’t read books,
37% have (and use?) ereaders, and
49% read paper books only.
Which means that by the end of 2012, 43% of those who read books will have, and may be using, an ereader.