Eight out of ten want to read long texts on paper

Reads book agreementReading.Photo: Pixabay

A clear majority of people, especially young people, prefer to read long texts on paper and on screen, a new and surprising Danish study has found out.

77 percent of respondents say they prefer reading longer texts – such as novels, long articles or textbooks – on paper, shows the survey conducted by consulting firm Bjerg Kommunikation and analyst Megafon.

Among youth aged 18 to 29 years old, 83 per cent prefer reading long texts on paper.
73 percent prefer paper in the 60-69 age group, the study shows.

Myth

The result of the survey is overturning the common conception of who is most eager to keep newspapers and books on paper.

The public is increasingly communicating electronically and more educational institutions are now in the process of moving away from printed textbooks.

– There is a myth that the young digital natives prefer to read digitally, because they grew up with it, but this is not so, says director Kresten Bjerg in Bjerg Kommunikation.

– This survey is an expression of the brain which is more likely to concentrate on the information on paper, which other studies have shown, he says.

Norwegian research
Bjerg highlights research from the University of Stavanger which was conducted among Norwegian 10th graders, who have far better understanding of the text when reading a textbook or literary texts in book form, than when they do on a computer screen.

The Danish study shows that women far more than men prefer to read long texts on paper, 85 percent versus 71 percent.

Among university graduates, 77 percent prefer reading long texts on paper, while only 58 percent among those who have only primary education answered the same.

 

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today