Research shows readers prefer physical books

Source: ADEPA

-A survey of 2,400 book readers of all ages in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany found that most people prefer physical books for their look, feel and even their smell.

The study, commissioned by paper manufacturer Stora Enso, found that 65% of respondents prefer physical books, compared to 21% who prefer e-books and 14% who prefer audiobooks. The French showed the highest rate of preference for physical books. Most said they preferred to read or listen to fiction books for fun and quality alone time.

"These results confirmed our expectations that the market for physical books will remain strong, which is good news for our customers in the printing and publishing industry," said Jonathan Bakewell, vice president and head of Stora Enso's Office Paper and Books Segment. However, there were some surprising results in the younger age group (16-24) surveyed, where 70% said they preferred physical books to e-books. For the older age groups, physical books have outperformed e-books in areas such as human potential and mindfulness, especially during the pandemic, when people took more time to reflect.

Digital detoxification

People began to rediscover reading, in part motivated by the pandemic, when many spent all day in front of screens working or studying, but didn't want to take them to the couch to relax. The majority of respondents (63%) said they read more during Covid, including nearly 70% in the UK and US. In the younger segment, 64% said they read more, with 76% of young people in the US and 73% in the UK. During isolation, the materiality of the paper book proved more comfortable for some than a digital device. Some respondents even mentioned the smell of a physical book, capable of evoking pleasant memories.

Between eyes and ears

But while physical books conquer a larger share of hearts and minds, the study showed that there is time and place for each of the three book formats, with few respondents saying they are limited to just one. E-books and audiobooks are more convenient and easier to carry, and can be consumed on multiple devices. The audiobook complements the physical book and e-book, as it competes for "ears" with podcasts, radio, music and other audio media.

Books as a carbon stock

Physical books and the paper they are printed on are circular and renewable. Forty-two percent of readers said they like to keep books when they finish reading them, while 26% lend or donate them. Another 26% sell their books and the remaining 5% recycle or discard them. And while books emit carbon during production and distribution, they store carbon while on the shelves. It is important to remember that e-books require energy to manufacture and use, and take up content storage space in the "cloud," which has a huge environmental footprint. In addition, waste from electronic devices is already a serious problem on the planet, with millions of tons of obsolete equipment and batteries being discarded annually.

Carbon neutrality was at the top of the agenda for most, with 61% of all respondents and 70% of young people saying they would pay more (on average 5.7% of the retail price) for carbon neutral books. Most would also shop at a retail outlet offering carbon neutral books.

The numbers in Brazil

The Trend Tracker Survey 2023, conducted by Two Sides among 10,847 people in 16 countries, including 1,000 respondents in Brazil, shows that the preference for printed books has advanced strongly since 2021, compared to the electronic format. In 2023, 64% of consumers surveyed in Brazil reported having a preference for reading printed books, up from 37% in 2021. Only 29% of respondents said they prefer to read books on electronic devices, while 7% are indifferent to the format.

"The number of people who prefer paper books has grown by more than 70% since the pandemic, consolidating the printed format as the best in the opinion of consumers," says Fábio Mortara, president of Two Sides Brazil and Latin America. "In the case of books, readers have not joined the trend of using electronic devices to access other types of communication, such as newspapers and magazines", he explains.