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Silver Poll

2.6

1 March 2011

The final nail may have been driven into the coffin of traditional publishers as more older readers turn their backs on the humble paperback than ever before.

Middle-aged Brits - until now, the publishers' darlings on account of their loyalty - are turning to ebooks and ebook readers in significant numbers, according to new research.

Some six per cent of the over-55s now own an ebook reader, compared to just five per cent of the 18-24 age bracket.

And three times this number has vowed to invest in the technology within 12 months, principally due to spiralling book costs on the High Street.

The figures were released yesterday (mon) by market research company www.SilverPoll.com which surveyed 2,000 Britons aged 50 and over.

Managing Director William Higham said the over-50s could hold the key to the rise of the ebook.

He said: ''The over-50s are a vital part of any publisher's audience. They are typically heavy book readers, and up until now they were staunchly traditional in their attitudes to reading.

''But these new figures show that they are beginning to embrace the electronic book.''

The survey was conducted in order to compare and contrast the attitudes and behaviours of regular internet users aged 50 and over - the 'silver surfers' - with their younger counterparts.

Specifically, the research aimed to determine their likes and dislikes, purchase drivers and barriers in order to provide decision makers with a greater understanding of this burgeoning market.

The results appear to show far less of a technological age-gap between the generations as previously believed.

According to the survey, 95 per cent of regular internet users aged 50 and over have used the web for shopping.

Some 70 per cent have banked online, the same number have booked a holiday online, and 61 per cent have used a recipe they found online.

Meanwhile, 38 per cent have downloaded music from the internet and 34 per cent have watched music videos online.

In fact, they email their friends and family more than younger ones do, and shop online and compare prices more often.

They discuss things in forums or newsgroups more regularly, too.

Interestingly, books are the items that the over-50s buy most of online. 62 per cent of Silver Surfers have shopped for books, 61 per cent for holidays, flights, accommodation, and 52 per cent for DVDs, film and/or TV downloads.

Of the respondents who owned an ebook reader, 47 per cent said Amazon's Kindle was the best device available.

The Kindle bookstore offers more than 400,000 books at the lowest prices of any bookstore in the UK. Many titles are available for less than half the price of their High Street store counterparts.

Some 31 per cent said Apple's iPad was the best ebook platform, while 14 per cent said they favoured the Sony Reader. Eight per cent, meanwhile, used the iPhone to download and read their favourite titles.

Interestingly, ebook readers are equally as common among those aged 60 and over as they are among the 50-60 year old market.

The devices are only fractionally more in use among 35-44 year-olds - of which 11 per cent are fans.

Mr Higham added: ''We're not denying that these are small percentages.

''But this is just the start. Look at the music industry - digital formats such as CDs or MP3s may begin as a small percentage of sales, but they soon developed into a hugely important part of them - and now dominate.

''It's also worth considering that six per cent of the 10 million internet users in this age bracket adds up to over half-a-million people.''

The survey was completed online by a panel of 2,000 regular Internet users aged Over 50 and 2,000 aged under 50 in January 2011.

The survey has a 95% confidence level, with a sampling error level of plus or minus 2.14 percentage points.