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Ofcom: 10% of UK adults own e-reader

18.07.12 | Katie Allen

One in 10 UK adults now own an e-reader, according to a new report.

Ofcom's Communications Market Report 2012 found that 10% of adults own an e-reader, with 41% of owners claiming that they read more since buying the device.

However, while e-reader owners are reading more digitally they are also reading less in other formats. Sixty-two per cent of people said they read fewer paper-based products since buying an e-reader, driven by a decrease in reading paperbacks (60%). One in 10 (10%) said they read fewer paper magazines and 8% said they read fewer paper newspapers.

Ofcom's survey also found that four in 10 (39%) of adults now own a smartphone, with over half of users saying they use their phone when out shopping, including taking photos of products (31%), making online price comparisons (25%), scanning bar codes to get more product information (21%) and reading product reviews online (19%).

Ownership of tablets such as Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab has rocketed in the last year from 2% of UK households in Q1 2011 to 11% in Q1 2012. This growth looks set to continue with one in five (17%) households saying they intend to buy a tablet in the next year.

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