More Australians buying eBooks

 

barnes, e-book, book, digitalDespite reports in the UK that the eBook may have had its day, Roy Morgan Research’s latest figures reveal that this might not be the case in Australia.

According to Roy Morgan, over the past two years online sales of eBooks have increased across most age groups — along with the proportion of Aussies reading novels or non-fiction titles in an average three month period.

In the 12 months to September 2014, seven per cent of Australians aged 14+ bought at least one eBook via the internet in an average three months.

Australians aged between 35 and 49 are the most likely to have bought eBooks, with 9.1 per cent doing so in an average three months, slightly up from the previous year (8.7 per cent).

During the same period, the proportion of this age group that read a book (either fiction or non-fiction, print or digital) increased from 55.0 per cent to 56.7 per cent.

The proportion of Australians aged 18 to 24 buying eBooks online in any given three month period has also increased, from 3.9 per cent in 2013 to 5.1 per cent in 2014 — despite being the only age group to have seen a decrease in reading incidence (from 55.3 per cent to 53.3 per cent).

Meanwhile, the 65+ age group showed a growing willingness to adopt this new technology, with the proportion purchasing eBooks rising from 4.1 per cent to 5.4 per cent – a higher proportion than some of the younger age groups that have grown up in the digital age.

Reading books in general also increased among this older demographic, from 64.5 per cent to 67.1 per cent.

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Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), October 2012-September 2013 (n=19,585) and October 2013 – September 2014 (n=16,176).

Angela Smith, group account director, Roy Morgan Research, said the results are an encouraging sign for both printed book and eBook retailers.

“Between October 2012 and September 2014, the proportion of Australians 14+ reading books in an average three months grew for the first time in several years,” Smith said.

“Over the same time period, the proportion of us buying eBooks online in any given three months also increased. Ebooks still account for a small proportion of the book market, but are showing no signs of being yesterday’s fad just yet.

“While just over 15 per cent of the population have at least one e-reader in their household, it is also possible to read eBooks on one’s tablet, smart phone or laptop, making them accessible to a much broader audience than one might think.”

Smith also added that despite what doomsayers have predicted for years, the rise of the eBook will not necessarily result in the death of its hardcopy equivalent — at least, not where online purchasing is concerned.

“The proportion of Australians buying printed books over the internet in an average three months has also increased.”

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