11/15/13
More than a third of Americans ages 16 and older own tablets, and almost one in four own e-readers, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. More than four in 10 (43%) own one or both of these devices. Women are more likely than men to own e-readers (27% vs. 22%) but about equally likely to own tablets (36% vs. 34%). Ownership of either of these devices rises with income and education.
Teens ages 16-17 and adults ages 30-49 are most likely to own tablets, while adults ages 30-49 are most likely to own e-readers. Asian Americans who speak English are significantly more likely than members of any other racial/ethnic group to own tablets. Non-Hispanic whites are slightly more likely than members of other racial/ethnic groups to own e-readers.
Dedicated e-readers have declined in popularity since 2011 as the devices of choice for reading e-books, while tablets have increased in popularity, according to the Book Industry Study Group (BISG). Regardless of which device they use, 79% are somewhat or very satisfied with the overall value they’ve received from the purchase of their e-reading device.
One in four Americans overall (25%) have read at least one electronic book. Among those who have access to e-readers or tablets, 63% have read electronic books. More than two-thirds of users of electronic books (68%) acquired their first e-book more than one year ago. Almost one in three readers of e-books (32%) say they read more books overall than they did before they began acquiring e-books.
About four in 10 respondents (39%) expect their next e-book purchase to be a title published within the past year, while 15% say it will be an older title, and 47% don’t know.
Among e-reading households with teens ages 13-17 in the home, 54% say their teens have purchased or acquired e-books for themselves.
Amazon is the most widely used source for e-books, accounting for more than half of all e-book acquisitions.
Readers of e-books consider a reasonable price for an electronic book to be $6.35. Currently, the average e-book price for best-selling titles from large publishers is $7.32, while the average price for e-books from independent publishers is $3.86. More than half of readers of e-books (51%) say they’d be willing to pay more for an e-book if it could be legally resold or given away after they have finished reading it.
SOURCES: “Tablets and E-Readers Update,” October 2013, Pew Internet & American Life Project, Lee Rainie, Director, 1615 L St., NW, #700, Washington, DC 20036; 202-419-4500; info@pewinternet.org; www.pewinternet.org. Price: Available online at no charge.
“Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading, Vol. 4,” October 2013, Book Industry Study Group (BISG), Jeanette Zwart, Marketing Strategy, 145 W. 45th St., #601, New York, NY 10036; 646-336-7141, x11; Jeanette@bisg.org; www.bisg.org. Price: $495 for BISG members; $995 for nonmembers.
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