You said “older,” didn’t you?

The answer, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, is that there is no significant difference by age group in rates of reading books.

Across the age-group categories, about three-fourths of Americans have read at least one book in the past year. The typical American read five books during the past year, and that was the same across age groups as well. 

Not surprisingly, college graduates and people with higher income tend to read more books.

The major difference between younger and older readers is not in how much they read but how they read.  Far more younger adults are likely to have read an e-book.  Almost half (47%) of the 18-29 year-old group read an e-book, whereas only 17% of the 65-plus group did.  E-book reading tends to fall gradually with age.

Still, the Pew survey says “print remains the foundation of Americans’ reading habits.”  In fact, 87% of e-book readers also read a print book.