A recent study by the Pew Research Center has brought to light some interesting facts and figures about the American reading pattern. For instance, the research has revealed the number of Americans who read e-books has now gone up to 30 percent from the previous 25 percent in 2019. Similarly, those who listen to audiobooks have gone up to 23 percent, up from 20 percent though the number of those who read print books has remained flat.
However, print books remain the dominant reading material with 65 percent of those who participated in the survey claiming to have read a print book in the last one year. In contrast, 30 percent and 23 percent of the respondents claim to have read an e-book or listened to an audiobook in the past 12 months. Further, 75 percent of Americans have read a book in the past 12 months irrespective of the format, which means it can be an e-book, a print book, or an audiobook.
As for the reading habits of the average American and how it has changed over the years. For instance, the readership of books of all formats currently stands at 75 percent but has swayed between a high of 78 percent in 2011 to a low of 72 percent in 2015 and 2019. In contrast, print book reading has shown wider fluctuation, from the current 65 percent to a high of 72 percent in 2011 to a low of 63 percent in 2015.
eBook reading too showed wild fluctuations, from a peak of 30 percent in 2021 to a low of 17 percent in 2011 and 25 percent in 2019. Audiobooks, on the other hand, has always been on an upward curve, being a meager 11 percent in 2011 to reaching 23 percent in 2021.
Among the other findings, the research revealed is that fewer Americans have a digital-only reading habit even though e-book reading has gone up. Those who only read print books and nothing else stand at 32 percent while 33 percent have been found to read both e-books and print books. It is a minuscule 9 percent who read e-books and/or audiobooks only while 23 percent said they aren’t into reading any book at all.
The complete findings of the reading habits of Americans and other details can be availed of at the Pew Research Center website. The research was conducted from January 25th and February 8th, 2021 while their site has detailed info from 2011 to 2021.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
