This document discusses Americans' reading habits and how they are shifting to digital formats. It provides statistics on internet and device usage in the United States from 2000 to 2012. Some key points: - Internet usage among US adults has grown from 46% in 2000 to 82% in 2012, with mobile devices fundamentally changing how people access information. - E-book reader and tablet ownership has risen significantly in recent years, with 29% of US adults now owning one of these specialized devices for digital reading. - Social media usage has also increased dramatically, with 65% of US adults now using social networking sites like Facebook on a regular basis. - Smartphone ownership is high, at 46% of US adults, and is

1. Books or Nooks?
How Americans’ reading habits
are shifting in a digital world
Kristen Purcell, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Research
Pew Internet Project
Ocean County Library
Staff Development Day
May 18, 2012

2. • Part of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” based
in Washington, DC
• PRC’s mission is to provide high quality, objective data to thought
leaders and policymakers
• Data for this talk is from nationally representative telephone
surveys of U.S. adults and teens (on landlines and cell phones)
• Presentation slides and all data are available at pewinternet.org

3. About our libraries research…
• Study the changing role of public libraries and library users in
the digital age
• Funded by a three-year, $1.4 million grant from the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation
• More information available at libraries.pewinternet.org

4. The Internet:
Then and Now

5. Internet Use in the U.S. in 2000
Slow, stationary connections
46% of US adults used the internet built around a desktop
computer
5% had home broadband connections
53% owned a cell phone
0% connected to internet wirelessly
0% used social network sites
_________________________
Information flowed mainly one way
Information consumption was a
stationary activity

6. The Internet in 2012
Mobile devices have
82% of US adults use the internet fundamentally changed the
relationship between
2/3 have broadband at home information, time and space
88% have a cell phone; 46% are Information is now
smartphone users portable, participatory, and
personal
19% have a tablet computer
19% have an e-reader
2/3 are wireless internet users
65% of online adults use SNS

7. Internet adoption, 1995-2011
% of American adults (age 18+) who use the internet, over time.
As of August 2011, 78% of adults use the internet.
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Surveys, March 2000-August 2011.

8. The main reasons non-internet users
do not use the internet
In May 2010, 21% of American adults age 18+ did not use the internet. (This number is 22% as of August 2011.) When asked
the main reason they do not go online (in their own words), these are the factors they cite.
% of offline adults
What is the MAIN reason you don't use the internet or email?
Just not interested 31%
Don't have a computer 12
Too expensive 10
Too difficult 9
It's a waste of time 7
Don't have access 6
Don't have time to learn 6
Too old to learn 4
Don’t want/need it 4
Just don't know how 2
Physically unable 2
Worried about viruses/spyware/spam 1
Other 6
Source: Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, April 29-May 30, 2010 Tracking Survey. N=2,252 adults 18 and older
(n=496 for non-internet users).

9. GADGETS

10. Adult gadget ownership over time (2006-2012)
% of American adults age 18+ who own each device
Source: Pew Internet surveys, 2006-2012

11. Gadget ownership snapshot for adults age 18+
% of American adults age 18+ who own each device
Source: The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project surveys.

12. Mobile is the Needle: 88% of US Adults Have a Cell Phone
% in each age group who have a cell phone
46% of US adults now
own SMARTPHONES,
up from 35% in
Spring 2011
Highest rates among:
18-24 year-olds (67%)
25-34 year-olds (71%)
23% of all teens age 12-
17 have a smartphone
31% of 14-17 year-olds
have a smartphone,
compared with just 8% of
Teen data July 2011 Adult data Feb 2012
12-13 year-olds

13. Overall, if you had to use one single word to describe how you feel about
your cell phone, what would that one word be?

14. Smartphone ownership by age & income/education
% of adults within each group who own a smartphone (for example, 58% of 18-29 year olds with a household income of less
than $30,000 per year are smartphone owners)
18-29 30-49 50-64 65+
(n=336) (n=601) (n=639) (n=626)
All adults 66% 59% 34% 13%
Annual Household Income
Less than $30,000 58 42 16 5
$30,000 or more 72 69 44 27
Educational Attainment
High school grad or less 63 43 22 8
Some college or college graduate 70 71 44 20
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project January 20-February 19, 2012 tracking survey. N=2,253 adults age 18 and older,
including 901 interviews conducted on respondent’s cell phone. Interviews conducted in both English and Spanish.

15. Gadgets Teens Use to Access the Internet
In the last 30 days, have you used the internet on ____?
% of all teens age 12-17 who used this gadget in past 30 days to access the internet
Desktop or laptop
88%
computer
Cell phone 49
Mp3 player or iPod 34
Game console 30
Tablet computer or iPad 16
0 20 40 60 80 100
Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, April 19 – July 14, 2011 Teen Survey. n=799 teens 12-17 and a parent or
guardian. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, by landline and cell phone, and included an oversample of minority families.

16. Tablet and E-reader Use is on the Rise
• 29% of US adults own a specialized device
for e-reading (either a tablet or an e-
reader)
– 19% of adults own an e-book reader
– 19% of adults own a tablet computer
• E-book reader and tablet ownership are
strongly correlated with income and
education, and these devices are most
popular with adults under age 50
• Women are more likely than men to own e-
readers, and parents are more likely than
non-parents to own tablets

17. What Kind of e-Reader Do You Own?
Percent of
e-reader owners
age 18+
who own each
type of e-book
reader

18. What is the main reason you do not currently
have an e-reader?
Just don't need one/don’t want one 24% % of Americans
Cost/can’t afford it 19 age 16+
Prefer books/print 16 who do not own
Don’t read/no time to read 10
an e-book
Don’t know what an e-reader is 5
reader who cite
Don’t want to learn tech/don’t know how to use it 4
Have enough other devices/use other devices 3 each reason
Plan to get one/waiting for better features 3
Have iPad/tablet 3
Lack of time in general 2 85% of those
I’m too old 2
who do not own
Vision/health problems <1
an e-book
Other 3
Don’t know/refused 5
reader have no
plans to
Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people age 16 and older conducted November 16- purchase one
December 21, 2011 conducted in English and Spanish on landline and cell phones. The margin of
error is +/- 2 percentage points. N for non-owners of e-reading devices=2,290.

19. What Kind of Tablet Computer Do You Own?
Percent of
tablet owners
age 18+
who own each
type of tablet
computer

20. What is the main reason you do not currently
have a tablet computer?
Just don't need one/don’t want one 35%
% of Americans
Cost/can’t afford it 25
Have enough devices/happy with current devices 20
age 16+
Don’t want to learn tech/don’t know how to use it 7 who do not own
Don’t know what a tablet computer is 2 a tablet
Plan to get one/waiting for better features 2 computer who
I’m too old 2 cite each reason
Lack of time in general 1
Don’t read/no time to read <1
Vision/health problems <1 81% of those
Prefer books/print <1
who do not own
Prefer to use library <1
a tablet
Other 2
Don’t know/refused 3
computer have
no plans to
Dec. 2011 results are from a survey of 2,986 people age 16 and older conducted November 16-
December 21, 2011 conducted in English and Spanish on landline and cell phones. The margin of
purchase one
error is +/- 2 percentage points. N for non-owners of tablet computers=2,290.

21. WHAT WE DO WITH OUR GADGETS

22. Mobile is the Needle
That Weaves Information Throughout Our World
% of US adult cell owners who use their phones to…

23. Cell Phone Activities by Race/Ethnicity
% of adult cell phone owners age 18+ within each group who do the following activities with their cell phone
Black, non-
White, non-Hispanic Hispanic Hispanic
(n=1343) (n=232) (n=196)
Send or receive text messages 70 76 83*
Take a picture 71 70 79*
Access the internet 39 56* 51*
Send a photo or video to someone 52 58 61*
Send or receive email 34 46* 43*
Download an app 28 36* 36*
Play a game 31 43* 40*
Play music 27 45* 47*
Record a video 30 41* 42*
Access a social networking site 25 39* 35*
Watch a video 21 33* 39*
Post a photo or video online 18 30* 28*
Check bank balance or do online banking 15 27* 25*
*indicates statistically significant differences compared with whites.
Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, April 26 – May 22, 2011 Spring Tracking Survey. n=2,277 adults ages 18
and older, including 755 cell phone interviews. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish.

24. How Phones Function In Our Lives
% of US adult cell owners who had done each of the following in the past 30 days…

25. Using Phones for Real-Time Information
% of cell owners in each age group who have performed these real-time activities in the previous 30 days
60%
45
Coordinate a gathering 27
23
49%
39
Solve an unexpected problem 26
15
Decide whether or not to visit a 43%
37
18
business, such as restaurant 12
Look up something to settle an 45%
31
argument 15 18-29 30-49
4
33%
Look up sports score 14
29 50-64 65+
5
Get up-to-the minute traffic or public 31%
23
11
transit info 4
21%
21
Get help in an emergency situation 18
16
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Mobile Survey, March 15-April 3, 2012.

26. Apps: From Superhighway to Bypass
One in three US adults download apps to a cell phone or tablet computer
Apps provide direct connections to information
% of app downloaders who have downloaded each type of app…
App downloading
is highest among
young adults age 18-29 Based on August 2011 Pew Internet Tracking Survey

27. Apps, Geolocation and Augmented Reality

28. Social Networks are the Threads That Connect Us
65% of US adults use social
networking sites
Consistent rates across gender,
race/ethnicity, and income groups

29. Why We Use Social Networks

30. Social Networks and Social Cohesion
For networked individuals, information is embedded
A Pew study finds that
contrary to fears the and ambient
internet isolates
people...
• Facebook users
are more trusting
than other adults
• Facebook users
have more close
relationships
• Facebook users
get more social
support than
other adults

31. Given So Many Choices, How do Teens Communicate?
The volume of
teen texting has
risen from
50 texts a day
in 2009 to
60 texts a day
in 2012
for the median
teen texter
Just 6% of teens
use email daily,
while 39% say
they never use
email

32. Search and Information Gathering
Over time, search has remained one of the most popular internet activities
% of adult internet users who engage in each activity online
Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project tracking surveys, 2002-2012. Social network site use
not tracked prior to February, 2005. “Get news online” and “buy a product online” have not yet been asked in 2012.

33. Who Uses Search?
All online adults 91%
% of online adults in each group
Race/Ethnicity who use search engines
White 93*
African American 89*
Hispanic 79 While the vast majority
Age
18-29 96*
of internet users use
30-49 91 search engines,
50-64 92 some demographic
65+ 80 groups are less likely
Education
Some high school 78
than others to
High school 88* use search….
Some college 94*
College graduate 95* This includes online
Household income
< $30,000 84
adults age 65+ and
$30,000 - $49,999 93* those in the lowest
$50,000 - $74,999 97* education and income
$75,000+ 95* categories.
*Denotes statistically significant difference with other rows in that category
Source: Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project Tracking Survey, Jan 20-Feb 19,
2012. N=2,253 adults age 18 and older. Interviews conducted in English and Spanish.

34. Internet users are turning to search engines more frequently
% of adult search users who use a search engine….
Daily use of search
engines is most common
among younger, more
educated and more
affluent internet users.
60% of internet users age
18-49 are daily search
users v. 40% of those 50+
70% of internet users
who have graduated from
college are daily search
users v. 36% of those
who have never been
Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project Tracking Survey, Jan 20-Feb 19, 2012.
to college
N=2,253 adults, age 18 and older. Interviews conducted in English and Spanish.
An asterisk (*) indicates a significant difference across years at the .95 confidence level.

35. Most adult search users have faith in the
fairness and accuracy of results
In general, do you think Internet search engines are a fair and unbiased source of information, or do you think
search engines are NOT a fair and unbiased source?
In general, how much of the information you find using search engines do you think is accurate or
trustworthy?
Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project Winter 2012 Tracking Survey, January 20-February 19, 2012. N=2,253
adults, age 18 and older, including 901 cell phone interviews. Interviews conducted in English and Spanish.

36. Most adult search engine users say the relevance and quality of
results are improving over time
Overall, in your experience, are search engine results getting MORE relevant and useful over time, LESS relevant
and useful, or have you not seen any real difference over time?
Overall, in your experience, is the QUALITY of the information you get using search engines getting BETTER over
time, WORSE over time, or have you not seen any real difference?
Source: The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project Winter 2012 Tracking Survey, January 20-February 19, 2012. N=2,253 adults, age 18 and
older, including 901 cell phone interviews. Interviews conducted in English and Spanish.

37. READING IN AMERICA
Books
or
Nooks?

38. Library Research Timeline…Stage I (August 2011-July 2012)
• Focus on libraries and new technologies
• The Rise of E-Reading - Published
– Special focus on reading habits of e-reader and tablet
owners
• E-books and libraries - June 2012
– Stories/quotes from library staff and patrons
• Library use in different community types (forthcoming)
• The habits of younger library users (forthcoming)

39. First report: The rise of e-reading
21% of American adults read an
e-book in the last year
68% read a print book
11% listened to an audiobook
Overall, just 19% of adults say they
read NO books in the past year,
in any format

40. Book reading by age
% of each age group who have read a book in whole or in part in the past 12 months
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Reading Habits Survey, November 16-December 21, 2011. N=2,986
respondents age 16 and older. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish and on landline and cells. The margin of error
for the sample is +/- 2 percentage points.

41. What do you like MOST about reading?

42. % of adult book readers (age 18+) using this format on an average
Theday, as offormat used by readers on any given day
book June 2010 and December 2011 is
shifting over time
% of adult book readers (age 18+) who use each of these formats on an average day
Source: Pew Research Center Surveys.

43. Who are the readers behind the screens?
Readers of e-books are more likely
than other readers to be:
• Under age 50
• College educated
• Living in households earning $50K+
Other key characteristics:
• They read more books, more often,
and for a wider range of reasons
• More likely to buy than borrow

44. On what gadgets do e-readers read their books?
% of e-book readers age 16 and older who read e-books on each type of device

45. Which is better – print or e-book?
Asked of those16+ who have read both e-books and print books in last 12 months

46. When you want to read a particular e-book, where
do you look first?
% of e-book readers age 16+ who look first to each source

47. Some Takeaways for Libraries
Additional takeaways for librarians
• The gadget doesn’t make the reader,
but it may change the reader
• 41% of tablet owners and 35% of e-
reader owners said they are reading
more since the advent of e-content
• A majority of print readers (54%) and
e-book readers (61%) prefer to
purchase their own copies of books
• Most audiobook listeners (61%)
prefer to borrow their audiobooks

48. Library Research Timeline…Stage II (May-November 2012)
• Focus on the changing world of library services
• The evolving role of libraries in communities
– New library services
– People’s expectations of libraries
– “The library of the future”
• The role of libraries in the lives of special populations
– Lower-income users, minorities, rural residents, seniors

49. Library Research Timeline…Stage III (Sept 2012–April 2013)
• Library User Typology
– Different user “types” based on:
• Characteristics of respondent’s local library
• How respondent uses the library
• Respondent’s attitudes about libraries in general
• An updated, in-depth portrait of young library users

50. All data available at:
pewinternet.org
libraries.pewinternet.org
Kristen Purcell, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Research
Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
kpurcell@pewinternet.org
Twitter:
@pewinternet
@kristenpurcell