Reading Statistics

I recently found a research article by the Pew Research Center published in January 2014 about the statistics about our reading habits. The study covers parameters like gender, age, and education level of readers. It is pretty interesting. As I suspected eBooks are becoming more popular. This isn't surprising with the number of tablets and other devices available to read on. Of course it is still only 28% compared to print which is 69%. More women have read a book in the last year (2013). Also the higher the education the more likely they have a read a book. All this data (so much more available in the report linked above) is good to see because people are still reading. However, it is saddening because there is much to be said about having the weight, smell, and chance of a paper cut with a print book.

Statista Inc, a leading internet statistics company, has projected that by 2018 eBooks will surpass print by a couple billion dollars. Of course there are many factors that can change the number. I will be sad if that does happen in the next few years. But as long as reading stays popular (and maybe increases in numbers) then I will be happy no matter what format. If I am being honest I have to say that a third of my reading right now is on my Kindle. It fits nicely in the purse without adding more weight. I also have my Kindle books linked to my iPad. Of course I had to buy another bookshelf this year for my print. But now I am more selective in the books that I buy in print. This is partly because of cost (right now I have to be a little cheaper) and space. There are so many books available for free, largely classics, on sites like Project Gutenberg. I also have a free app on my iPad called Free Books. Of course we can't forget the library. In recent years a lot of library systems have begun offering eBooks. This can be tricky because not all eReaders are compatible. But this is changing and is a great way for more people to have access to what is available. 

If you are interested in more statistical evidence check out Statista Inc and the Pew study. I have linked both in this post. Project Gutenberg is also worth a look.

Yesterday HuffPost Books wrote an article titled "Sorry Ebooks. These 9 Studies Show Why Print is Better." It is refreshing and exciting to look into them.