Poll: 3 out of 4 Americans prefer paper books

[Rob Lister]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Well, if they haven't tried an e-reader, isn't that a pretty clear indication that they prefer paper? Are people only allowed to have an opinion about something they've tried? I haven't jumped out of an airplane, but I have an opinion about it--I don't want to do it.

That's fine, but you can't draw the stated conclusion unless the sample (or the crosstabs) includes only those that do indeed jump.

p.s. I'm sure you'd enjoy it. we could do a tandem!

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Well, if they haven't tried an e-reader, isn't that a pretty clear indication that they prefer paper? Are people only allowed to have an opinion about something they've tried? I haven't jumped out of an airplane, but I have an opinion about it--I don't want to do it.

You are right. We already know that the majority of the people in the world have no access to ereader and probably many of them have never seen a book. Obviously they must prefer paper. Just as those who have no indoor plumbing or sewers must prefer outhouses and chamber pots or a heap of manure for composting.

Helen

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Rob Lister

That's fine, but you can't draw the stated conclusion unless the sample (or the crosstabs) includes only those that do indeed jump.

Why? The conclusion is that 75% prefer paper books, not that 75 percent of people who've used an e-reader prefer paper books.

Suppose a survey asked: Do you prefer to read mysteries or science fiction? If I don't read science fiction--which I don't--should I be disqualified from answering the question? By choosing not to read science fiction, I've expressed a preference. It's a perfectly valid preference.

Or if the question is: Do you prefer to travel by plane or by train? and I'm scared to fly, do I not get to give an answer? Why not?

p.s. I'm sure you'd enjoy it. we could do a tandem!

Hell no!

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

You are right. We already know that the majority of the people in the world have no access to ereader and probably many of them have never seen a book. Obviously they must prefer paper. Just as those who have no indoor plumbing or sewers must prefer outhouses and chamber pots or a heap of manure for composting.

Helen

The survey was not talking about "the majority of people in the world." It was taken in the U.S., where I'm pretty sure most of the responders at least had seen a book. The breakdown was 75 percent paper, 15 percent digital, and 10 percent undecided.

My assumption is that if there were responders who didn't know what a book was, they'd report they were undecided.

[jmilica]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Why? The conclusion is that 75% prefer paper books, not that 75 percent of people who've used an e-reader prefer paper books.

Suppose a survey asked: Do you prefer to read mysteries or science fiction? If I don't read science fiction--which I don't--should I be disqualified from answering the question? By choosing not to read science fiction, I've expressed a preference. It's a perfectly valid preference.

Or if the question is: Do you prefer to travel by plane or by train? and I'm scared to fly, do I not get to give an answer? Why not?

Hell no!

But if the question is - Do you PREFER to read mysteries or science fiction?
Isn't it understood that you have tried both?
Otherwise, how could you PREFER one?
Or is my second language English so wrong?

I also didn't PREFER ereader untill I tried it for the first time. I actually remember a friend telling me she's getting Kindle for her husband and me trying to explain to her how bad that might be for his eyes
But she, thankfully, didn't listen to me, got it for the husband, I saw it at their place, and there you go - I got myself one around one month later...

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Catlady

The survey was not talking about "the majority of people in the world." It was taken in the U.S., where I'm pretty sure most of the responders at least had seen a book. The breakdown was 75 percent paper, 15 percent digital, and 10 percent undecided.

My assumption is that if there were responders who didn't know what a book was, they'd report they were undecided.

Did I say anywhere that the survey mentioned people anywhere in the world or had anything to do with plumbing?
I was simply expounding on your inference that one did not have to have experience with both subjects of the survey to have a preference.

I would assume if they didn't know what a book was they would say "what is a book?" if the were old enough to talk, but I know where assumptions lead us at times I also assume that the surveyor would disqualify them, but I would not bet on that. I also would assume to be actually undecided one would at least have to have some knowledge to base a decision or lack of decision upon, but again probably an unwarranted assumption.

Helen

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by jmilica

But if the question is - Do you PREFER to read mysteries or science fiction?
Isn't it understood that you have tried both?
Otherwise, how could you PREFER one?
Or is my second language English so wrong?

I can prefer one over the other because I have at least some rudimentary knowledge of both. If I avoid one in favor of the other, I'm doing it because of a preference. My preference can be based on never reading science fiction, or on reading one book in the genre and hating it, or on reading a hundred such books and not caring for them.

I also didn't PREFER ereader untill I tried it for the first time. I actually remember a friend telling me she's getting Kindle for her husband and me trying to explain to her how bad that might be for his eyes
But she, thankfully, didn't listen to me, got it for the husband, I saw it at their place, and there you go - I got myself one around one month later...

Fine. I'd certainly be interested in a survey that asked people who have owned an e-reader for, say, at least a year if they prefer e-books to paper books. But that doesn't mean it was invalid in the survey being discussed to presumably include people who don't use an e-reader and have decided not to buy one, for whatever reason.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by Catlady

How is this relevant?.

Because the headline reads "3 out of 4 Americans prefer paper books". If 25% of Americans don't read anything, that kind of means the headline is worthless. When you add another 18% who read 20 or less books in one year, suddenly we're nearly 50% of those who read little or nothing. I'm not surprised that those that read only a couple books a year have no interest in ebooks. That *could* mean that those who read more than 20 books/year do prefer ebooks and the Pew Research results I pointed to upstream seem agree with that.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Because the headline reads "3 out of 4 Americans prefer paper books". If 25% of Americans don't read anything, that kind of means the headline is worthless. When you add another 18% who read 20 or less books in one year, suddenly we're nearly 50% of those who read little or nothing. I'm not surprised that those that read only a couple books a year have no interest in ebooks. That *could* mean that those who read more than 20 books/year do prefer ebooks and the Pew Research results I pointed to upstream seem agree with that.

That is not what the headline in fact says, if we're going to be picky.

Secondly, again I say, so what? How many books per year are the respondents supposed to read in order for you to deem them worthy of having an opinion? Especially since you think up to 20 books a year is little or nothing.

Why do some of you seem to care so much if a whole lot of people simply don't like e-books? It's like you're threatened by their opinion. I don't get it.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Why do some of you seem to care so much if a whole lot of people simply don't like e-books? It's like you're threatened by their opinion. I don't get it.

And I don't get why you seem to think that anyone who questions the validity of the poll must somehow feel threatened by the numbers. As I mentioned previously, I don't really care whether or not people like/dislike ebooks. The claim simply doesn't make logical/semantic sense to me as stated.

[rem736]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Or if the question is: Do you prefer to travel by plane or by train? and I'm scared to fly, do I not get to give an answer? Why not?

if you have flown before and have subsequently gotten scared because of it, then yes, you get to answer the question.

but if you have never flown (and your fear was from another source), then you can't objectively compare the two modes of transportation in terms of preference. there is no point of comparison if there is no experience.

you can say that you've always traveled by train and given the choice of other modes of transportation, would still prefer to travel by train. and the valid stats would be just x% uses this and y% uses that. you can't infer x% and y% as preferences, just usage. but in a comparison study of this vs. that, you have to be experienced with both this and that to make a valid preference decision.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

And I don't get why you seem to think that anyone who questions the validity of the poll must somehow feel threatened by the numbers. As I mentioned previously, I don't really care whether or not people like/dislike ebooks. The claim simply doesn't make logical/semantic sense to me as stated.

Because there isn't enough factual information to legitimately question the poll--no one's reported going past the paywall for the complete results and methodology.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by rem736

if you have flown before and have subsequently gotten scared because of it, then yes, you get to answer the question.

but if you have never flown (and your fear was from another source), then you can't objectively compare the two modes of transportation in terms of preference. there is no point of comparison if there is no experience.

you can say that you've always traveled by train and given the choice of other modes of transportation, would still prefer to travel by train. and the valid stats would be just x% uses this and y% uses that. you can't infer x% and y% as preferences, just usage. but in a comparison study of this vs. that, you have to be experienced with both this and that to make a valid preference decision.

If a survey asks me if I prefer train or plane, they're not looking for an objective analysis of the merits of each. They're looking for my personal preference--my subjective opinion--which can be based on anything, logical or illogical, sensible or stupid. I may have experience to back up my opinion, or I may not. It's still my opinion, and I get to tell it to the survey takers, and they get to tick off the proper boxes.

[Lemurion]

For me the issue is that the numbers are essentially meaningless because with less than half the population reading books it's effectively saying that at least three out of eight Americans would rather not read a paper book than not read an eBook. The preferences of those who do not buy the product really don't matter to any industry.

So, while Rasmussen's numbers are often flawed, that's largely irrelevant because these aren't the numbers that matter. The numbers that matter are what proportion of the book buying public prefer paper to eBooks, and the average annual expenditure of each group.

Besides, I'm not so sure it's a binary. I prefer eBooks for fiction, paper for some reference books. I buy single issue comics digitally, but prefer collections in print.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Because there isn't enough factual information to legitimately question the poll--no one's reported going past the paywall for the complete results and methodology.

That's fine. I have no problem with that. Just don't take the knee-kerk stance that doubting the validity of the poll automatically translates to being "threatened by the results."