Pew Research Report on America’s Reading Habits

“Americans are reading differently than they used to – more e-books, more audiobooks and more young people choosing not to read.”

In a recent National Public Radio report, Celeste Headlee interviewed Kathryn Zickuhr, research associate at the Pew Research Center ’s Internet & American Life Project, and Elissa Malespina, school librarian at South Orange, NJ, Middle School, about America’s reading habits.

The main focus of the interview was a recent Pew Research report reflecting that, although the proportion of Americans who read e-books is growing, few have completely replaced print books for electronic versions.

Among the report’s findings:

• The percentage of adults who read an e-book in the past year has risen to 28%, up from 23% at the end of 2012. At the same time, about seven in ten Americans reported reading a book in print, up four percentage points after a slight dip in 2012, and 14% of adults listened to an audiobook.
• Although e-books are rising in popularity, print remains the foundation of Americans’ reading habits. Most people who read e-books also read print books, and just 4% of readers are “e-book only.” Audiobook listeners have the most diverse reading habits overall, while fewer print readers consume books in other formats.

To access the complete NPR report, please visit:

National Public Radio: Are E-Books Killing Reading For Fun? (23 JAN 14)

To access the complete Pew Research report, please visit:

Pew Internet & American Life Project: E-Reading Rises as Device Ownership Jumps (16 JAN 14)