Americans today have an enormous variety of content available to them at any time of day, and this textile is available in a number of formats and through a range of digitally connected devices. All the same even as the number of ways people spend their time has expanded, a Pew Research Center survey finds that the share of Americans who have read a volume in the final 12 months (73%) has remained largely unchanged since 2012. And when people accomplish for a book, information technology is much more likely to be a traditional print book than a digital production. Fully 65% of Americans take read a print book in the final year, more than than double the share that has read an eastward-book (28%) and more four times the share that has consumed volume content via audio book (14%).

But while print remains at the eye of the book-reading mural as a whole, there has been a distinct shift in the e-book mural over the last v years. Americans increasingly turn to multipurpose devices such every bit smartphones and tablet computers – rather than dedicated e-readers – when they appoint with e-volume content. The share of e-volume readers on tablets has more than than tripled since 2011 and the number of readers on phones has more than doubled over that fourth dimension, while the share reading on e-book reading devices has not changed. And smartphones are playing an particularly prominent role in the east-reading habits of certain demographic groups, such as not-whites and those who have not attended college.

These are among the main findings of a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,520 American adults conducted March 7-April iv, 2016.

The share of Americans who have read a volume in the final year is largely unchanged since 2012; more than Americans read print books than either read e-books or mind to audio books

Following a slight overall decline in book readership between 2011 and 2012, the share of American adults who read books in whatever format has remained largely unchanged over the last four years. Some 73% of Americans written report that they have read at least ane volume in the last year. That is nearly identical to the 74% who reported doing so in a survey conducted in 2012, although lower than the 79% who reported doing and so in 2011.

Americans read an average (mean) of 12 books per yr, 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 Centre first began conducting surveys of Americans' book reading habits (for additional details on the number of books read per year by different demographic groups, come across Appendix A).

Readers today tin can access books in several common digital formats, but print books remain substantially more popular than either eastward-books or audio books. Roughly 2-thirds of Americans (65%) accept read a print book in the last year, which is identical to the share of Americans who reported doing and so in 2012 (although downwardly slightly from the 71% who reported reading a impress book in 2011).

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

E-book readership increased past eleven-percentage points between 2011 and 2014 (from 17% to 28%) but has seen no change in the concluding two years. Similarly, the share of American adults who heed to audio books has inverse only marginally since Pew Inquiry Eye first asked about this topic in 2011 – at that point, xi% of Americans had listened to an audio book in the last yr, compared with 14% now.

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

In full, 34% of Americans have either read an eastward-book or listened to an sound book in the last year, but relatively few Americans read books in these digital formats to the exclusion of print books.

More than i-quarter (28%) of Americans read books in both print and digital formats (which includes e-books and sound books). Some 38% read print books merely did not read books in any digital formats, while but half dozen% read digital books simply not print books.

Relatively few Americans are "digital-only" book readers regardless of their demographic characteristics. Even so, some demographic groups are slightly more than probable than others to do all of their reading in digital format. For instance, 7% of college graduates are digital-simply book readers (compared with just 3% of those who have not graduated from high schoolhouse), as are 8% of those with annual household incomes of $75,000 or more than (compared with 3% of Americans with incomes of $30,000 or less). Interestingly, young adults are no more likely than older adults to exist "digital-only" book readers: 6% of xviii- to 29-year-olds read books in digital formats only, compared with 7% of thirty- to 49-twelvemonth-olds and five% of those fifty and older.

College graduates are roughly iv times as likely to read e-books ­ and about twice as likely to read impress books and audio books – compared with those who accept non graduated high school

As was the case in previous Pew Research Center surveys on book reading, certain groups of Americans read at relatively high rates and in a broad variety of formats. These include:

College graduates – Compared with those who have non attended higher, college graduates are more than likely to read books in general, more likely to read print books, and more likely to consume digital-book content. The typical (median) college graduate has read seven books in the last year.

Young adults – 80% of eighteen- to 29-year-olds accept read a book in the last yr, compared with 67% of those 65 and older. These immature adults are more likely than their elders to read books in various digital formats, but are as well more likely to read impress books every bit well: 72% have read a print volume in the last year, compared with 61% of seniors.1

Women – Women are more likely than men to read books in full general and besides more likely to read print books. However, men and women are equally probable to read digital-format books such every bit e-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 due 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 east-readers – to read books. Between 2011 and 2016, the number of Americans who read books on tablet computers has increased almost fourfold (from 4% to xv%), while the share who read books on smartphones has more than 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: eleven% of Americans now do this, upwards from seven% in 2011.

By contrast, 8% of Americans now report that they read books using dedicated e-reader devices – nearly identical to the 7% who reported doing so in 2011.

About i-in-five Americans nether the historic period of 50 have used a cellphone to read e-books; blacks and Americans who have not attended college are especially likely to plough to cellphone – rather than other digital devices – when reading due east-books

Previous Pew Research Eye studies have documented how several groups – such as blacks and Latinos, and those who have non attended college – tend to rely heavily on smartphones for online access. And in the context of volume reading, members of these groups are especially likely to turn to smartphones – rather than tablets or other types of digital devices – when they appoint with e-volume content.

For example, 16% of blacks study that they apply their cellphones to read books. That is well-nigh double the share of blacks who read books on traditional computers (9%) and four times the share who read books using dedicated e-readers (4%). Hispanics are less probable than blacks as a whole to read books on cellphones (11% do so), but Hispanics are also substantially more likely to read books on cellphones than on e-readers or traditional computers. By contrast, whites tend to turn to a range of digital devices when reading due east-books: xiii% read e-books on cellphones, but 18% read due east-books on tablet computers, x% employ e-book readers and eleven% appoint with due east-book content on desktop or laptop computers.

Cellphones besides play a relatively prominent role in the reading habits of Americans who accept not attended college. College graduates are far more likely than those with high school diplomas or less to read books on tablets (25% vs. 7%), e-book readers (15% vs. 3%) or traditional computers (15% vs. 6%). Only these differences are much less pronounced when it comes to reading books on cellphones. Some 17% of higher graduates read books this way, compared with xi% of those with high school diplomas or less – merely a vi-pct point departure.

Along with these groups, Americans under the age of 50 are especially probable to swallow due east-book content on prison cell phones: one-in-v (19%) do so, compared with 9% of 50- to 64-twelvemonth-olds and just 4% of those 65 and older.

The share of Americans who read in guild to research a specific topic of involvement has increased in contempo years

In add-on to asking whether – and on what devices – Americans read books specifically, the survey also included a broader prepare of questions asking almost reasons that people might read written content of whatsoever kind (including books, but also magazines, newspapers or online content).

Among all American adults:

  • 84% ever read to enquiry specific topics of interest (29% do so nearly every solar day).
  • 82% read to keep up with current events (47% nearly every solar day).
  • 80% read for pleasure (35% nigh every 24-hour interval).
  • 57% read for work or school (31% do so most every day).

A similar share of Americans study that they read for pleasure, for work or school, or to keep upwardly with electric current events compared to the nearly recent time these questions were asked in 2011. Nevertheless, the share of Americans who read in order to research specific topics of interest has increased by x-percentage points over that time frame, from 74% to 84%.

Older and younger adults are as probable to read for pleasure or to keep upwardly with current events; younger adults are more probable to read for piece of work or school, or to research a topic of interest

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

At the aforementioned time, there is non always such a straight relationship betwixt volume reading and overall reading for specific purposes. As noted earlier in this study, young adults are more likely to read books than older adults. And when asked most 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 research a specific topic of interest. However, Americans of all ages are as probable to signal that they read (whether in book form or otherwise) for pleasure or to continue up with electric current events.