U.S. bookworms continue to embrace eReader devices

by Steven Mostyn - Sep 23 2010, 10:10

While we here at The Tech Herald hope the printed word never truly dies, a new Harris Interactive poll released this week shows that more and more traditional bookworms are embracing the portable convenience of electronic reading devices.

The poll, which was cast across 2,775 adults in the United States, showed that eight percent of book lovers currently use electronic readers such as the Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook, and a further 12 percent plan to buy a device in the next six months.

"With e-reader sales expected to continue to climb and as more devices now become available, it is inevitable that reading habits of Americans will change," offered Harris Interactive in a statement.

In terms of book purchases made once equipped with a digital reading device, 17 percent of respondents said they bought between 11 and 21 eBooks in the last 12 months, while 20 percent claim to have purchased 21 or more during the same period.

Those figures compare favourably against the 11 percent of all non-eReader users who bought between 11 and 20 books last year, and the 12 percent who purchased more than 21.

It would also appear that eReader ownership has a positive effect on reading habits, with some 53 percent of device holders saying they read much more now than they did six months ago.

However, despite the traction of electronic reading devices, the poll also strongly suggested that eReaders are still a niche attraction, adding that the majority of traditional bookworms (around 60 percent) have no intention of purchasing a portable reader in the foreseeable future.

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