The newest
Pew Research survey for the reading habits of American adults
found a slight decline.
This decline
in reading occurred in books across all formats: print, eBooks
and audiobooks. Print remained the preferred format for reading
at 63%, down from 69% in 2014. Adults who read an eBook in
2015 numbered 17% and 28% in 2014.
Are you surprised to read
that eBook readership is declining among adults?
Young Adults were found to be the most avid readers, with 80% having read a book in the last year. This
breaks down to 69% of young adults reading print books versus 34% reading eBooks.
Adults, ages 30 to 49, were
the second largest group of readers at 71%. Only 15% of adults over the age of 65 reported reading an
eBook within the last 12 months. The percentage of adults listening to audiobooks was 12% in 2015 and 14%
in 2014.
Other Pew findings: women read more than men and reading levels rise with the educational and income
level for adults.
For myself, I switch back and forth between eBooks and physical books. I confess, there are some favorite books I have in duplicate, in digital and print. I love the convenience of eBooks, when I travel I can take my whole library and it weighs practically nothing; or, the ease of holding an eBook curled up in bed - less bulk, easy to turn the pages. Are you among those who have never experienced an eBook? You may always prefer the physical book but stay open to new experiences. Don't forget that the library offers 6 Kindles available for check out if you have a Clarkston Independence District Library card. All of out book group selections are available on these Kindles.