Americans today have an enormous multifariousness of content available to them at any time of day, and this material is available in a number of formats and through a range of digitally connected devices. Yet even equally the number of ways people spend their time has expanded, a Pew Inquiry Center survey finds that the share of Americans who accept read a book in the last 12 months (73%) has remained largely unchanged since 2012. And when people reach for a book, information technology is much more likely to exist a traditional print book than a digital product. Fully 65% of Americans have read a print book in the concluding yr, more than double the share that has read an e-book (28%) and more than four times the share that has consumed book content via audio book (14%).

Merely while print remains at the centre of the book-reading landscape as a whole, there has been a distinct shift in the east-book landscape over the concluding five years. Americans increasingly plough to multipurpose devices such as smartphones and tablet computers – rather than dedicated eastward-readers – when they engage with e-book content. The share of east-book readers on tablets has more than tripled since 2011 and the number of readers on phones has more than doubled over that time, while the share reading on e-book reading devices has not changed. And smartphones are playing an especially prominent office in the e-reading habits of certain demographic groups, such as not-whites and those who have not attended college.

These are among the principal findings of a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,520 American adults conducted March 7-Apr four, 2016.

The share of Americans who have read a book in the last twelvemonth is largely unchanged since 2012; more Americans read print books than either read e-books or listen to audio books

Following a slight overall turn down in book readership between 2011 and 2012, the share of American adults who read books in whatsoever format has remained largely unchanged over the last 4 years. Some 73% of Americans study that they have read at least one book in the last year. That is virtually identical to the 74% who reported doing so in a survey conducted in 2012, although lower than the 79% who reported doing so in 2011.

Americans read an average (mean) of 12 books per year, while the typical (median) American has read 4 books in the last 12 months. Each of these figures is largely unchanged since 2011, when Pew Research Center first began conducting surveys of Americans' book reading habits (for boosted details on the number of books read per twelvemonth by different demographic groups, see Appendix A).

Readers today can access books in several common digital formats, but print books remain essentially more popular than either eastward-books or sound books. Roughly two-thirds of Americans (65%) have read a print book in the last yr, which is identical to the share of Americans who reported doing so in 2012 (although downward slightly from the 71% who reported reading a impress book in 2011).

By dissimilarity, 28% of Americans have read an e-book – and 14% have listened to an audio book – in the last year. In addition to being less popular than print books overall, the share of Americans who read e-books or listen to audio books has remained fairly stable in recent years.

Eastward-book readership increased by 11-percentage points betwixt 2011 and 2014 (from 17% to 28%) but has seen no modify in the final 2 years. Similarly, the share of American adults who listen to audio books has changed only marginally since Pew Research Middle starting time asked nearly this topic in 2011 – at that point, 11% of Americans had listened to an sound book in the last yr, compared with xiv% now.

Nearly four-in-10 Americans read print books exclusively; just 6% are digital-only volume readers

In total, 34% of Americans have either read an e-book or listened to an audio book in the last twelvemonth, merely relatively few Americans read books in these digital formats to the exclusion of impress books.

More than than one-quarter (28%) of Americans read books in both impress and digital formats (which includes eastward-books and audio books). Some 38% read impress books but did non read books in any digital formats, while just 6% read digital books merely not print books.

Relatively few Americans are "digital-only" volume readers regardless of their demographic characteristics. Withal, some demographic groups are slightly more likely than others to exercise all of their reading in digital format. For example, 7% of college graduates are digital-just book readers (compared with just 3% of those who have not graduated from high schoolhouse), as are viii% of those with annual household incomes of $75,000 or more (compared with three% of Americans with incomes of $30,000 or less). Interestingly, young adults are no more than likely than older adults to be "digital-only" book readers: 6% of eighteen- to 29-twelvemonth-olds read books in digital formats just, compared with 7% of thirty- to 49-twelvemonth-olds and v% of those 50 and older.

College graduates are roughly 4 times as likely to read e-books ­ and well-nigh twice as probable to read print books and sound books – compared with those who have not graduated high school

As was the case in previous Pew Inquiry Heart surveys on book reading, certain groups of Americans read at relatively loftier rates and in a wide variety of formats. These include:

Higher graduates – Compared with those who have not attended college, college graduates are more probable to read books in full general, more than likely to read print books, and more likely to consume digital-book content. The typical (median) higher graduate has read seven books in the final year.

Immature adults – 80% of 18- to 29-year-olds have read a volume in the terminal year, compared with 67% of those 65 and older. These young adults are more likely than their elders to read books in various digital formats, but are also more than likely to read print books as well: 72% have read a print book in the last year, compared with 61% of seniors.1

Women – Women are more likely than men to read books in full general and as well more than probable to read print books. Still, men and women are equally likely to read digital-format books such every bit east-books and audio books.

The share of Americans who read books on tablets or cellphones has increased substantially since 2011, while the share using dedicated east-readers has remained stable

Tablet computer and smartphone buying have each increased dramatically in recent years, and a growing share of Americans are using these multipurpose mobile devices – rather than dedicated e-readers – to read books. Betwixt 2011 and 2016, the number of Americans who read books on tablet computers has increased nearly fourfold (from 4% to fifteen%), while the share who read books on smartphones has more than doubled (from 5% to 13%). The share of Americans who read books on desktop or laptop computers has also increased, although by a more modest amount: 11% of Americans now do this, up from 7% in 2011.

Past contrast, eight% of Americans now written report that they read books using dedicated e-reader devices – nearly identical to the 7% who reported doing so in 2011.

Nigh one-in-5 Americans under the age of 50 have used a cellphone to read eastward-books; blacks and Americans who take not attended college are especially likely to plough to cellphone – rather than other digital devices – when reading due east-books

Previous Pew Research Heart studies accept documented how several groups – such as blacks and Latinos, and those who take not attended college – tend to rely heavily on smartphones for online access. And in the context of volume reading, members of these groups are especially probable to turn to smartphones – rather than tablets or other types of digital devices – when they appoint with due east-book content.

For instance, 16% of blacks report that they use their cellphones to read books. That is nearly double the share of blacks who read books on traditional computers (9%) and four times the share who read books using dedicated e-readers (iv%). Hispanics are less likely than blacks as a whole to read books on cellphones (11% do then), but Hispanics are as well substantially more than likely to read books on cellphones than on e-readers or traditional computers. By dissimilarity, whites tend to plow to a range of digital devices when reading eastward-books: 13% read e-books on cellphones, but 18% read east-books on tablet computers, 10% use due east-book readers and 11% engage with e-book content on desktop or laptop computers.

Cellphones too play a relatively prominent role in the reading habits of Americans who have not attended college. College graduates are far more likely than those with high schoolhouse diplomas or less to read books on tablets (25% vs. 7%), e-book readers (15% vs. iii%) or traditional computers (15% vs. 6%). Only these differences are much less pronounced when it comes to reading books on cellphones. Some 17% of college graduates read books this way, compared with 11% of those with high school diplomas or less – only a 6-percent bespeak difference.

Along with these groups, Americans nether the historic period of 50 are especially likely to consume e-book content on cell phones: one-in-five (nineteen%) do so, compared with 9% of 50- to 64-yr-olds and merely 4% of those 65 and older.

The share of Americans who read in society to enquiry a specific topic of interest has increased in recent years

In addition to asking whether – and on what devices – Americans read books specifically, the survey as well included a broader set of questions asking almost reasons that people might read written content of any kind (including books, simply too magazines, newspapers or online content).

Among all American adults:

  • 84% always read to research specific topics of interest (29% exercise and so nearly every day).
  • 82% read to go on up with current events (47% nearly every solar day).
  • 80% read for pleasure (35% almost every day).
  • 57% read for work or schoolhouse (31% do then nearly every day).

A similar share of Americans written report that they read for pleasance, for work or school, or to proceed up with current events compared to the most recent fourth dimension these questions were asked in 2011. However, the share of Americans who read in guild to research specific topics of interest has increased by 10-per centum points over that time frame, from 74% to 84%.

Older and younger adults are equally likely to read for pleasure or to keep up with current events; younger adults are more than likely to read for work or school, or to research a topic of interest

In some cases, the factors associated with high rates of book readership are the same ones associated with reading for specific purposes. For instance, college graduates are more likely than those who have but attended high school to read books in general – and they are besides more likely to read for all four of the specific motivations examined in this survey.

At the same time, there is non always such a direct relationship between book reading and overall reading for specific purposes. As noted earlier in this report, young adults are more than probable to read books than older adults. And when asked about specific reasons why they might read a range of content, these young adults are much more likely than older adults to say that they read for work or school, or to enquiry a specific topic of interest. However, Americans of all ages are as likely to indicate that they read (whether in volume form or otherwise) for pleasure or to proceed upward with current events.