E-Books Catch On in a Big Way in the UK

E-book consumption has increased threefold since February 2011 among adults in the United Kingdom, according to the results of a study released this month by Bowker^® Market Research’s Understanding the Digital Consumer project. The greatest growth in e-book buying has been among UK adults age 45 to 54, reported Bowker.

A London commuter reads an e-book on a Kindle while at the Old Street Tube station.

"Those under the age of 35 remain slightly more likely to have purchased an e-book, but the growth in e-book consumption is being driven by older readers," according to the Bowker study. In addition, it was revealed that women purchase more e-books than men, and they download more free titles. The results of the study were culled from online surveys that involved 3,000 British adults between the ages of 16 and 84. 

Other interesting tidbits from the Bowker study are that 31 percent of British adults said they are likely to buy an e-book in the next six months and that the e-reader of choice is the Kindle; 40 percent of adults who read e-books use this device.

Photo credit: Annie Mole/Flickr