Americans pick print books over electronic contenders
NEW YORK (Reuters) -It seems the comfort of curling up with a printed book is still hard to beat.
Even as electronic formats for reading have become more readily available, 82 percent of Americans prefer reading printed books, according to a Random House/Zogby poll released on Friday.
But the survey, which explores the country's reading and book-buying habits, also found 13 percent of respondents younger than 30 were open to reading a book online or on an e-book reader, compared with just 6 percent of those age 65 or older.
"While clearly the printed book is the favorite, if you look at the double-digit of young people who are open to other formats, you do get a little peek into the future," said pollster John Zogby.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they bought between one and five books per year for themselves and 22 percent purchased 16 books or more.
They bought those books online or at chain bookstores most often, according to the survey of 8200 adults, with only nine percent saying they primarily buy books at independent booksellers.
"Everything hurts in a slowing economy, but booksellers can take comfort in the fact that reading is still in, and books are here to stay," said Zogby.
"Though obviously, like is the case with newspapers, the independent booksellers have to adjust and the reader needs to be accommodated."
Seventy-seven percent said that when they go into a bookstore looking for a specific book, they'll be tempted to make additional, unplanned book purchases.
More than half admitted to being swayed by appearances when choosing what to read, with those younger than 30 most likely to judge a book by its cover.
More than a third said they have bought books because of a quote from another author, while women are more likely than men to seek out books by authors they already enjoy -- 92 percent compared with 86 percent.
Most Americans, or 78 percent, own the books that they read, with only 19 percent heading for the library.
Yet two in three respondents said they typically read a book just once. Once a book has been read, 57 percent said they'd keep it on a shelf at home, with only three percent saying they would sell their books after reading them.
Folding over pages was the most common bad reading habit, the poll showed, followed by sneaking a peek at the ending before finishing a book.
When respondents were asked what type of book would best represent their life, 20 percent said it would be humor, 16 percent said satire and 13 percent said inspirational.
What book would they recommend to the next president if he or she can't sleep at 3 a.m.?
Among the most frequent responses were books on history from the Federalist Papers to David McCullough's 1776.
Politically-themed books by Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck were named often, as well as books by politicians such as Ron Paul, Barack Obama, Al Gore and Hillary and Bill Clinton. Lengthy classics such as War and Peace also made the list.
Reuters/Nielsen
