Books: eBooks vs. Print Books- A Study on Reading

This week, Scholastic posted results from their recent national survey of parents and their kids - ages 6-17  (conducted in conjunction with the Harrison Group) "Kids and Family Reading Report - 4th edition*" asking them about their reading habits and preferences, and the results are interesting.

Here are some of their results on the increase and motivational aspects of ebooks:

From: paidcontent.org

• The percent of children who have read an ebook has almost doubled since 2010 (25% in 2010 vs. 46% in 2012);
• Half the children ages 9-17 would read more books for fun if they had greater access to ebooks (an increase of 50% from 2010);
• One in four boys who has read an ebook says he is now reading more books for fun (there was no marked increase for girls);
• 57% of moderately frequent readers (defined as kids who read one to four days a week) who have not read an ebook agree they would read more if they had greater access to ebooks;
• Kids say that ebooks are better than print books when they do not want their friends to know what they are reading and when they are traveling;
• 31% of parents who have read an ebook say they personally read more books now than they read before starting to read ebooks;
• ebooks are read primarily at home (75%) then at school (27%), at a friend's house (15%); at the library (13%) or someplace else (9%);
• Children and parents identify convenience and interactive properties (such as dictionaries, note taking, and read-aloud options) as the top benefit of ebooks over print books for children;

Here are some results on the the motivational aspects of print books:

• 80% of kids who read ebooks still read books for fun primarily in print;
• 58% of kids ages 9-17 say they will always want to read books printed on paper even though there are ebooks available (a slight decline from 66% in 2010);
• Print books are seen by kids as better sharing with friends and reading at bedtime;
• 49% of parents prefer their child read print books, 47% do not have a preference, and 4% prefer their child read ebooks. However, 68% of parents with younger kids (ages 6-8) prefer they read print books;
• Children and parents say the top benefits of print books for kids are not having to charge a battery and being able to see how much they read;
• 54% of parents say a benefit of print books over ebooks is to give their child time away from technology;

Regarding girl/boy gender preferences, the report notes that the gender gap in reading frequency and attitudes towards reading is narrowing; however, the narrowing of the gap is driven more by decreases among girls than it is by increases in boys.

• Among girls since 2010, there has been a decline in frequent readers (42% vs. 36%), reading enjoyment (39% vs. 32% say they love reading), and the importance of reading books for fun (62% vs. 56% say it is extremely or very important).
• Among girls ages 12-17 there was an increase in the amount of time they spend visiting social networking sites and using their smartphones for going online.
• Among boys since 2010, there has been an increase in reading enjoyment (20% vs. 26% say they love reading), and importance of reading books for fun (39% vs. 47%). Reading frequency among boys has stayed steady, with 32% being frequent readers.
• The percentage of boys who read 5-7 days a week drops at every age, whereas girls level off in their teens;

What factors most influence kids' reading:

From: blogs.msdn.com

"The study also looked at the influences that impact kids’ reading frequency, and parents ranked extremely high. The report found that having a reading role-model parent or a large book collection at home has a greater impact on kids’ reading frequency than does household income. Plus, building reading into kids’ daily schedules and regularly bringing home books for children positively impacts kids’ reading frequency."

Additional findings related to reading preferences and patterns:

• 49% of the parents feel their children do not spend enough time reading books for fun (an increase from 2010 when only 36% of parents were dissatisfied with time their child spent reading);
• Nine out of ten kids say they are more likely to finish a book they choose themselves (same as in 2010);
• 32% of parents say they are reading new kinds of books they never thought they would read, including children's books and teen fiction;
• Compared to 2010, fewer boys age 12-14 are playing video games while more boys age 15-17 are going online via computer, visiting social networking sites, and playing video games 5-7 days a week;
• Young children age 6-11 are more likely to read books (for fun and for school 5-7 days a week) than older children age 12-17;
• 83% of the children noted positive outcomes of reading a book required for school (42% said they would not have read it otherwise, 40% noted they were surprised by how much they liked it, 39% found a character they really liked, 27% found a series they really liked, 21% said they wanted to lear more about a topic they read about in school, 20% noted they found an author they really liked);
• 83% of parents have acquired books for their children in the past six months (13 books on average). This is higher for younger children compared to older children;
• 65% of parents of 6-8 year olds read to their children at least weekly. This drops to 37% of parents with 9-11 year olds.

For the visually literate, here are some of their findings in charts and graphs:

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS:

• Model reading.  Let your kids see you read for pleasure and for work; have books around the house, take them out when at the table to share interesting stories/facts/images/maps.  Make them part of your life.
• Read aloud at bedtime, while traveling, while waiting at the doctor's office.  Make reading fun and show them the incredible worlds books open up for them.
• Schedule reading times at home and/or at school - time your kids know are devoted to reading for fun.
• Read aloud to your OLDER kids at bedtime for as long as they'll let you!  This is particularly important as reading has been found to drop off for older kids.  Reading aloud will keep the world of books alive for them.
• Graphic novels are great reading choices for good, slow, reluctant and enthusiastic readers, and older readers who move away from print books, and while they may not be readily available to browse in the book store, libraries are great places to check them out, as are many of my blog posts: great non-fiction /historical fiction graphic novels, great kids' graphic novels encouraging critical thinking, my favorite kids' graphic, more great suggestions).
• Visit libraries and books stores
• Talk about favorite books or books you are currently reading at family meals, when driving the kids places.  Make books an important part of your life.

Thank you as always for your visit.  Please leave your reading preferences and ways of encouraging your kids to read in the comments.

NOTE: *As noted by Scholastic:

 The study was conducted by Scholastic and managed by Harrison Group, a YouGov Company. Survey data were collected by GfK, and the source of the survey sample of 1,074 pairs of children age 6-17 and their parents was GfK’s nationally representative KnowledgePanel®. 

To download the Kids & Family Reading Report and access audio sound bites, visit www.scholastic.com/readingreport. 

To learn more about Scholastic, visit our media room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com. To learn about our global literacy campaign, visit www.scholastic.com/readeveryday.