E-readers have become the rage. That’s clear from how many people are now using them.
A Harris Interactive survey of ~2,180 consumers in July 2011 has found that ~15% of Americans over age 18 are using an e-reader device. That’s about double the percentage compared to last year’s poll.
Beyond this, another ~15% reported that they’re likely to buy one within the next six months.
The Harris research found some interesting regional differences in e-reader usage. I was quite surprised to learn that e-readers haven’t taken off nearly as strongly in the Midwest as compared to the other three regions of the country:
Westerners: ~20% have an e-reader
Easterners: ~19%
Southerners: ~14%
Midwesterners: ~9%
What are the characteristics of those who own e-readers, besides where they live? It turns out they’re far more active readers than the rest of the population.
For example, about one third of all survey respondents reported that they read more than 10 books during the year. But for those who own an e-reader, that percentage was nearly 60%.
And just because someone owns an e-reader doesn’t mean they’re stopped purchasing actual books. While one-third of all the survey respondents reported that they haven’t purchased any books in the past year … that percentage was only 6% of those who use e-readers.
The criticism commonly heard that e-readers may be the death knell for traditional books because cause people to download fewer books than they would purchase in physical form may not carry much weight, if the Harris survey results are to be believed.
On the contrary, the e-reader phenomenon appears to be making some people even more voracious readers than before. About one third of the e-reader respondents in the survey reported that they read more now than before – and not just on their e-readers.
Clearly, e-readers represent a phenomenon that’s taken firm hold and is here to stay. But whether it’s radically changing the reading habits of its users … that remains an open question. The early signs suggest “no.”
What about your experience? Have your habits changed with the advent of e-readers? How so?
Nones Notes 
Question: Do you know whether the pollsters considered an iPad an e-reader?
The wording of the survey question was, “Do you use an electronic reader device, such as a Kindle, an iPad or a Nook, to read books?”
So the iPad is considered an e-reader device — but the question was asking if the respondents used their iPad for reading books, not just if they owned an iPad.