When it comes to reading in the digital format, there are no surprises that adults and the elderly are reading the most. Teenagers on the other hand are simply not reading for pleasure anymore.
A recent study conducted by Nielsen has proclaimed that 54% of USA adults currently read eBooks. Not only is digital on the rise but overall the average person is reading more books on a yearly basis.
Interestingly, there appears to be an intersection at work between how Americans read and how much they read. Those who read either more or exclusively in the eBook format are more likely to read over 20 books in an average year (30%) than either those who read more/only in hard copy (18%) or those who read in both formats equally (21%). They also report a higher average readership per year than either hard copy hardliners or equal-opportunity readers (22.5 books vs. 16 and 15, respectively).
Scholastic recently conducted a YouGov survey and 1,755 parents responded about their children’s reading habits. The results showed that children’s fondness for reading lessens as they get older, because whilst 17% of the older age group read for fun, that figure is much higher among ages 6-8 (54%), dropping to 43% for ages 9 to 11 and 24% for 12-14.
Parents of older children are more likely to say they do not have a preference as to whether their kids read books for fun in print versus e-books. However, about two in three parents (67%) of kids ages 6–8 prefer that their children read in print.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
