Demographics Of US Book Readers [CHART]

Chart: Demographics of Book Readers

The percentage of American adults who read books has remained relatively unchanged in the past few years, reports the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project in a recent study [PDF]. Almost 3 in 4 adults say they had read a book in the 12 months prior to the survey, with printed books continuing to be the most popular format.

In fact, close to two-thirds (65%) of adults surveyed said they had read a printed book in the previous 12 months, a figure which is unchanged from 2012 despite some fluctuations in between. That’s more than double the proportion (28%) who have read an e-book, though that figure has grown since 2012. Interestingly, it’s the device being used to read e-books that has seen the biggest shift, with tablets and cellphones in particular growing markedly to overtake computers and e-readers as the most commonly-used devices.

Meanwhile, about 1 in 7 (14%) of US adults reported having listened to an audio book in the 12 months prior to the survey, a figure fairly unchanged since 2012. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.com.