Pew survey finds people with ereaders read more books, but 19% of Americans haven’t read a book for more than a year

A new survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project has found that people with ereaders read, on average, 8 books more per year than people without ereaders. But the same survey has also found that 19% of Americans haven’t read a single book – in any format – for more than a year.

The survey covered nearly 3,000 English and Spanish speaking respondents and found that the number of people who haven’t read a book in 12 months is at its highest level since the Pew studies began back in the late 70s. The average American reads 17 books per year, with the average ereader owner reading 24 per year and the average non-ereader owner reading 16 per year.

The survey conclusively shows that reading habits are changing and that technology is one of the driving forces behind this change. Whether the change is good or bad is difficult to say, but 85% of those without an ereader told the survey that they have no intention of getting one any time soon, suggesting that the rate of change might slow in the next couple of years.