I recently came across this study extolling the virtues of print and paper in a digital world. Now I’m sure you have to take the results with a grain of salt, seeing that they come from a group called Two Sides, “a global initiative by companies from the graphic communications industry including forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, pre-press, press, finishing, publishing, printing, envelopes and postal operators.”
Nevertheless, I agree that there is a place for paper in the digital world. The study, conducted last June, drew from polling data gathered from ten countries: Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Overall, the survey found that consumers prefer reading in print. In the U.S., readers preferred printed magazines (66 percent), books (62 percent) and even newspapers (61 percent). The survey also found that consumers trust print to privide an environment that allows for deeper understanding of the subject matter. The data also provide trends about online advertising as well as the impact of global digital consumption on health.
Some interesting data quoted directly from the study results:
* The amount of time that consumers spend looking at screens is concerning to them, especially for the youngest age group. 54 percent believe they spend too much time on electronic devices (65 percent for 18-24 year olds) and 53 percent are concerned the overuse of electronic devices could be damaging to their health (62 percent of 18-24 year olds). 36 percent feel they are suffering from “digital overload†(47 percent of 18-24 year olds).
* 74 percent indicated that fake news is a worrying trend: 56 percent trust the news stories they read in printed newspapers, and only 35 percent trust the news stories they read on social media.
* 73 percent feel that reading a printed book or magazine is more enjoyable than reading them on an electronic device, followed by newspapers at 65 percent.
