You are an adult. so you probably shouldn’t be reading that Young Adult novel about vampires, right? If nothing else, that is how many people feel. It turns out that one of the most popular uses of ereaders like the Kindle and the Nook is to hide embarrassing books.
58% of ereaders are used to hide what book the reader is reading. 57% of those use their devices to hide the fact that they are reading literature advertised for children, 26% used ereaders to hide their sci-fi/fantasy habit, and 34% read erotic novels.
And earlier research showed that 20% of people are so ashamed of their collection that, if they lost their ereader, they wouldn’t claim it back. This data was collected from a poll of 1,863 British citizens and was gathered this week.
This data really isn’t all that surprising. An ereader is a great way to let you read what you want without worrying about the pressures of society. You can read that kid’s book in public without worrying about being judged–you will just be seen as another reader. The same goes for erotic literature, though I don’t understand the appeal of reading that in public.
The rest of the data gathered: While 71% of the physical bookshelf space was dedicated to non-fiction books among those who responded, that number drops to a mere 14% on digital shelves. A marked drop, and one that probably shows that physical books are as much about show as tell. Also, the most popular book category was thrillers, followed by romance, then humor, and finally fantasy. 55% had read less than a third of the books on their shelves while 10% had never read any of them. They probably bought autobiographies.