VIVA THE BOOK

No, the Internet Has Not Killed the Printed Book. Most People Still Prefer Them.

By DANIEL VICTORSEPT. 2, 2016

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Books line the walls on at Common Grounds, in DeKalb, Ill., in August. Credit Katie Smith/Daily Chronicle, via Associated Press

Even with Facebook, Netflix and other digital distractions increasingly vying for time, Americans’ appetite for reading books — the ones you actually hold in your hands — has not slowed in recent years, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

Sixty-five percent of adults in the United States said they had read a printed book in the past year, the same percentage that said so in 2012. When you add in ebooks and audiobooks, the number that said they had read a book in printed or electronic format in the past 12 months rose to 73 percent, compared with 74 percent in 2012.

Twenty-eight percent said they had opted for an ebook in the past year, while 14 percent said they had listened to an audiobook.

Lee Rainie, the director of internet, science and technology research for Pew Research, said the study demonstrated the staying power of physical books.