US book lovers increasingly embracing digital format: Pew study
05 Apr 2012
A new Pew study shows that an increasing number of US book lovers prefer inkless pages. Slightly over a fifth of US adults reported having used an "e-book" during the past year, as their ranks grew with the popularity of Kindles, Nooks, iPads and other gadgets during the year-end holiday gifting season.
The percentage of adults reading digital books increased 17 per cent in mid-December to 21 per cent by February, according to a Pew research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to Lee Rainie, an author of the study, every institution connected to the creation of knowledge and storytelling was undergoing a revolution in the way information was packaged and disseminated.
It was now clear that readers were embracing a new format for books and a significant number were reading more because books could be plucked out of the air, it added.
With digital magazine articles included, the share of US residents aged 16 or older who read digital content and people reading more overall climbed to 43 per cent, according to the study.
Book consumption is spreading with the increasing use of an array of gadgets from dedicated e-readers to smartphones and desktop computers, the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project said.