• Ad Age , Wednesday, May 23, 2007 10:30 AM

In what could be a blow to conventional wisdom, teenagers are reading more magazines than their elders, at least according to a study by McPheters & Co. The consulting firm says its research shows that young adults read more magazines than older people.

"Because many established titles have seen the median age of their readers increase, there has been a misperception that magazine readers are getting older," says Rebecca McPheters, president. "While younger adults tend to read different titles than those in older age groups, the fact that they read more magazines overall is very exciting."

And that's good news for publishers nervous about what the Internet may do to books. Among 8,400 respondents, those aged 19 to 24 reported reading an average of 18.3 titles in the previous six months, while 25-to-34 set said 18.9. And the number decreases as the hair gray: Those aged 45-54 said they read 16.7 titles, while people older than 65 said they read 14. The findings were based on a beta test of Readership.com, a planned audience-measurement service for print publications that has been kept from full rollout by a lack of funds.

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