Americans "seem to be embracing their broader options," with 54% now reading e-books, including 66% of Millennials, according to the results of a recent Harris Poll of 2,234 American adults. The survey also found 84% said they read at least one book in some format in an average year, with 36% reading more than 10. Respondents who favored e-books purchased roughly twice as many titles as those who preferred hard copies.
Compared to a Pew Report in January that indicated the number of adults who had read an e-book during the past year rose to 28%, the Harris results further emphasized the challenge of calculating digital readership in a fast-changing climate.
Nonetheless, other highlights from the Harris Poll included:
- Respondents read approximately 17 books per year, with Baby Boomers (19) and Matures (25) reading more in a typical year than Millennials (13). Women (23) read twice as many books as men (11).
- 65% purchased at least one book in the past year, with 9% purchasing more than 20 and an average of more than 8 books purchased. Women (10) purchased more books, on average, than men (7).
- 30% of Americans who read either more or exclusively in the e-book format are more likely to read 20-plus books in an average year, compared to those who read more/only in hard copy (18%) or those who read in both formats equally (21%). They also reported a higher average readership per year than either hard copy hardliners or equal-opportunity readers (22.5 books vs. 16 and 15, respectively).
- 46% of respondents read only hard copy books, with an additional 16% saying they read more hard copies than e-books; 17% read about the same number of hardcovers and e-books, while 15% read more, and 6% read exclusively in the digital format.
- 51% read the same amount in the past six months as they did before, while nearly a quarter (23%) read less in the past six months and fewer than two in 10 (17%) read more. Younger Americans often get blamed for declining readership nationally, but Millennials (21%) were more likely than their elders (14% Gen Xers; 15% Baby Boomers and Matures) to have read more in the past six months.
- 29% of those who read either more or exclusively e-books indicated they had read more over the past six months than those who preferred hard copies (13%) or both formats equally (16%).