E-book consumption in the UK
A survey held in 2021 on e-book reading frequency revealed that 40 percent of consumers in the United Kingdom aged 12 years or above read e-books most days or one to three times per week. The most common method of accessing e-books was found to be online purchasing, though getting e-books via download was also a popular option. Data on e-book access behavior by gender showed that women were more likely than men to purchase e-books, and more respondents aged 45 to to 54 years old also reported accessing e-books online than those from any other age group.Unfortunately, not all consumers access e-books via legitimate sources. Illegal e-book consumption remains relatively common, though the share of respondents to the study who said that they had accessed e-books via an illegal platform or a mix of legal and illegal channels dropped slightly between 2020 and 2021.
E-book access
E-book piracy will continue to be a problem and is difficult to control. However, by publishers and authors making books available on multiple platforms and keeping e-books reasonably priced, consumers tempted to read illegally may be less inclined to follow through with that plan. Indeed, an investigation into the reasons for reading e-books revealed that one of the main appeals for respondents was e-books being free or cheap to access. Most important to UK consumers was the ability to read e-books instantly and whenever they wanted, and the ability to save space and store books digitally was also cited as being important. If e-books were to increase in price or be removed from a consumer’s preferred platform, the chances of readers seeking out their favorite e-books via unofficial channels are higher.
