Has reading print on paper become more of an activity for the affluent? And if so, which came first – Did magazines chase this demographic? Or have the demands of niche publications cause publishers to create more magazines aimed at those with money?
According to Linda Zebian, writing in Folio magazine, “Affluent people are spending more time reading magazines, according to the latest Mendelsohn Affluent Survey. The top quarter of U.S. households with current household incomes of $85,000 or higher are reading more magazines than ever before, citing increases over the previous year in both the number of publications read as well a the number of issues. According to the survey, 85.8 percent of participants claimed to read one publication or more, an estimated increase of 4 percent over last year’s figures. The average number of publication titles read increased from 6.2 to 6.9 while the average number of publication issues read increased about 12 percent since 2005.”
Further down in the article, Zebian writes, “The more than 25 million households that make up this demographic are a significant target market for advertisers and publishers, as they account for over 50 percent of total U.S. household incomes, according to the study.” It’s an interesting look at market demographics.
