The results of The Harris Poll in July, 2011 show 15% of Americans uses an e-Reader device, up from 8% a year ago. Also, among those who do not have an e-Reader, 15% say they are likely to get an e-Reader device in the next six months. Consumers Use of EReader (% of All adults) Use?Total 2010Total 2011Region EastMidwestSouthWest Yes 8% 15% 19% 9% 14% 20% No 92 85 81 91 86 80 Source: Harris Interactive, September 2011 (Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding) While some lament the introduction of the e-Reader as a death knell for books, the opposite is true, says the report. First, those who have e-Readers do, in fact, read more. Overall, 16% of Americans read between 11 and 20 books a year with one in five reading 21 or more books in a year. But, among those who have an eReader, 32% read 11-20 books a year and over one-quarter read 21 or more books in an average year. Books Read In A Year (All adults; % of Respondents by Group) e-ReaderGeneration ReadTotal 2010Total 2011UseDoes not useEcho Boomers (18-34)Gen. X (35-65)Baby Boomers (47-65)Matures (66+) 0 9% 15% 8% 18% 13% 19% 17% 12% 1-2 14 14 7 15 9 15 18 11 3-5 20 20 14 21 23 17 20 17 6-10 16 15 18 15 17 14 14 16 11-20 21 16 32 13 20 14 14 15 21+ 19 20 27 19 19 20 17 29 Source: Harris Interactive, September 2011 (Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding) E-Reader users are also more likely to buy books. One-third of Americans say they have not purchased any books in the past year compared to only 6% of e-Reader users who say the same. One in ten Americans purchased between 11 and 20 books in the past year. Again, e-Reader users are more likely to have bought, or downloaded books, as 17% purchased between 11 and 20 . Books Purchased In Past Year (% of All adults) Books Purchased e-ReaderTotal 2010Total 2011UseDo Not Use 0 21% 32% 6% 36% 1-2 17 17 12 18 3-5 22 17 20 17 6-10 17 15 28 13 11-20 11 10 17 9 21+ 12 9 17 8 Source: Harris Interactive, September 2011 (Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding) One of the criticisms of e-Readers is that people who have them may download more books than they would traditionally purchase, but read at the same levels. So far this criticism is not holding true at all. Half of both e-Reader users and non-users say they read the same amount as they did six months ago. However, while 24% of non e-Reader users say they are reading less than they did before, over one-third of e-Reader users say they are reading more compared to just 16% of non-users. Change In Reading Habits (% of All adults) Reading Habit Total 2010 Total 2011 e-Reader Uses Does not use Read the same amount as before 49 51 50 51 Read less than before. 23 21 8 24 Read more than before. 21 19 36 16 Purchase more books now, but do not read them as readily as before. 4 3 4 3 Not at all sure 4 6 2 6 Source: Harris Interactive, September 2011 (Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding) In conclusion, the report observes that E-Readers are definitely here to stay and this means the publishing world needs to learn to change with the times. There will always be a place for books in hard cover or paperback. But, there must also be a place for reading devices as well. Readers are quickly catching on to this wave as have the booksellers. This is a huge transition time for publishing companies. Regardless of how they are reading it, says the report, there are types of books people like to read. Among those who say they read at least one book in an average year, three-quarters say they read both fiction (76%) and non-fiction (76%) but certain types of books rise to the top in both categories. Types Of Books Read (% of Adults who read at least one book in average year) Type of BookTotalGenerationGender Echo Boomers(18-34)Gen. X (35-46)Baby Boomers (47-65)Matures (66+)MaleFemale Fiction (Net) 76% 79% 73% 73% 77% 67% 83% Mystery, Thriller and Crime 47 41 46 49 57 36 57 Science Fiction 25 26 29 26 16 32 19 Literature 23 36 22 16 14 23 23 Romance 23 21 24 20 28 4 38 Graphic Novels 10 14 11 8 8 11 9 Chick-Lit 8 12 10 4 4 3 12 Westerns 5 4 6 6 7 5 6 Other Fiction 33 37 33 27 36 27 37 Non-Fiction (Net) 76 68 82 81 73 78 74 Biographies 29 24 30 29 37 31 27 History 27 24 24 27 36 37 19 Religious and Spirituality 24 19 28 27 22 19 28 Self-help 18 13 25 21 13 15 20 True Crime 13 13 19 14 5 8 17 Current Affairs 12 12 10 15 11 15 10 Political 11 11 12 10 13 17 7 Business 10 10 12 11 7 15 6 Other non-fiction 26 32 30 21 22 27 26 Source: Harris Interactive, September 2011 (Multiple responses accepted) Please visit Harris Interactive here for more information.