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Pew: 19 Percent Of Americans Now Own Tablets, eReaders

After a big holiday season the percentage of people owning eReaders and tablets has nearly doubled — from about 10 percent in early December to 19 percent in January. The data were compiled from several telephone surveys the Pew Internet Project conducted between late November and January. The chart below provides a demographic breakdown of […]

By Greg Sterling

Published on January 23, 2012 • Last updated on May 13, 2021 • 2 minutes read

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After a big holiday season the percentage of people owning eReaders and tablets has nearly doubled — from about 10 percent in early December to 19 percent in January. The data were compiled from several telephone surveys the Pew Internet Project conducted between late November and January.

The chart below provides a demographic breakdown of tablet (not eReader) owners. They skew slightly more male, younger than 50 and slightly more educated and affluent. However the distribution is relatively even across categories — showing that tablets are becoming more mainstream.

If the survey is representative of the larger population (Pew says it is) and can be extrapolated to the larger population, it means that 44.6 million people in the US now own tablets (mostly iPads, Kindle Fires and Nooks).

Marketers now need to recognize these devices as an important category. Google for its part offers tablet-specific advertising options. In addition, tablet owners are much more likely than those on smartphones to complete a transaction.

Mostly used in the home, tablets are really a PC alternative rather than “mobile devices.” According to comScore data (Q3), 6.6 percent of people in the “EU5” own tablets. Undoubtedly that number is higher after the holiday.

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Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

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