Younger Americans’ Reading and Library Habits

[xg4bx]

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project has taken a special look at readers between the ages of 16 and 29 because interest in them is especially high in the library world and the publishing world. This report examines how they encounter and consume books in different formats. It flows out of a larger effort to assess the reading habits of all Americans ages 16 and older as e-books change the reading landscape and the borrowing services of libraries.1

The main findings in this report, including all statistics and quantitative data, are from a nationally-representative phone survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older that was administered from November 16-December 21, 2011. This report also contains the voices and insights of an online panel of library patrons ages 16-29 who borrow e-books, fielded in the spring of 2012.

http://libraries.pewinternet.org/201...ibrary-habits/


Some interesting findings, including the fact that the vast majority of reading done by all age groups is still done using print as opposed to ereaders.

[wizwor]

WAS still done using print a year ago. I suspect a lot has changed in the past year. Also, the survey was via phone, so probably oversampled homebodies and the less technical -- many of whom do not have landlines.

Anecdote: a year ago my youngest did not own a tablet. Today, he hardly is without one in his hands. We screen our calls and do not respond to unknown callers.

[Quexos]

How can so many little kids own or use tablets ? tablets are very delicate and easily breakable. They can drop them, wet them, put them in schoolbags full of heavy books risk bending and so on.
Well some kids could be more careful but most young kids aren't.

[wizwor]

The survey was of 'readers between the ages of 16 and 29' and a lot of these people have tablets. My kids are fifteen and nineteen.

Many schools are considering switching to tablets/ereaders for content distribution.

[elcreative]

Originally Posted by wizwor

WAS still done using print a year ago. I suspect a lot has changed in the past year. Also, the survey was via phone, so probably oversampled homebodies and the less technical -- many of whom do not have landlines.

Anecdote: a year ago my youngest did not own a tablet. Today, he hardly is without one in his hands. We screen our calls and do not respond to unknown callers.

And even if you don't screen when someone rings at random and says "We're doing a survey..." then most people don't leap up and say, "Oh goodie, I've nothing better to do than waste my time answering silly questions to an unknown group that isn't going to benefit me in any way..." The response tends to be much shorter and often direct...

[cjr72]

Originally Posted by Quexos

How can so many little kids own or use tablets ? tablets are very delicate and easily breakable. They can drop them, wet them, put them in schoolbags full of heavy books risk bending and so on.
Well some kids could be more careful but most young kids aren't.

I bought my 7 year old daughter a Kindle Fire for Christmas and so far so good. Granted it's just a $200 tablet so not a huge loss if she breaks it. Still I made it clear to her that I won't buy her another one anytime soon if it breaks due to her not taking care of it.