E-Reader Ownership Doubles in Six Months

E-Reader ownership among U.S. adults age 18 and older has doubled in last six months, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

The adoption of e-readers grew six percent to 12 percent between November 2010 and May 2011, surging ahead of tablet adoption, which currently stands at eight percent.

E-reader ownership grew at a faster pace among Hispanic adults in the six-month period than it did among white or African-American adults, the report found.

In addition, there was considerable growth in e-reader ownership among college graduates, as one-fifth (22 percent) of whom now own this type of device. E-reader ownership is also rising faster among adults under age 50.

Overall, the highest tablet ownership rates are among Hispanic adults (15 percent) and those with household incomes of at least $75,000 annually (17 percent).

Meanwhile, for the first time, men are slightly more likely than women to own tablet computers.

Both e-reader and tablet adoption levels among U.S. adults fall well below that of other tech devices that have been on the market longer, such as cell phones (83 percent), desktop (57 percent) and laptop (56 percent) computers, DVRs (52 percent), and MP3 players (44 percent).

The study also marked the first time that laptop computers were seen as popular as desktop computers among U.S. adults, which confirms the overall trend toward mobile, according to the report.