Print is preferred. So give consumers a choice

It’s official! Print really is the preferred option when people have something they want to read.

A recent survey of US and UK consumers has shown a strong preference among all age groups for reading material in print, rather than on-screen – when they are actually given the choice.

A total of 80 per cent said they preferred to read in print on paper, as opposed to reading material in other forms. Only 10% said they preferred other media. (The remaining 10% did not state a preference.)

The survey of 1500 consumers in the US and the UK was conducted by research company Toluna, on behalf of Two Sides, an international trade association for the print and paper industry.

What was particularly interesting was that there was almost no difference in the responses given by different age groups.

Myopic “digital-only” fanatics are fond of saying that “print is for the older generation”, and that younger people are leading the way in their preference for consuming content via a screen.

But the facts appear to show otherwise. In the survey, 79% of consumers in the 18-24 age group said they preferred to read material in print. Of those aged 25-34, a full 77% also said they preferred printed reading material over digital.

The results were almost identical on both sides of the Atlantic.

Some of the other results from the survey are also significant:

• A huge 87% of consumers in the US and UK say they both understand information better – and can also retain or use it better – when they read it in print on paper, compared with the same content on digital media devices such as e-readers, tablets, desktop computers or mobile phones. There were no significant differences in the answers given by different age groups.
• ·Some 80% of those polled say they are at their “most relaxed” when reading information in print on paper, again with no significant differences between age groups.
• ·When people have something “complicated” to read, 81% say they prefer to read it in print on paper.
• The reasons why people print out documents include: “printed documents are easier to read” (73% of those polled said this); printed documents are better for storage and archiving” (55%); “printed documents are more secure” (53%); and “I’m afraid I will lose emails” (49%).

Of course, no one is saying that all information must be distributed in print. That is not practical.

But what is interesting is how people prefer to absorb information via print on paper when given the choice.

So we say to marketers and other communications professionals – give consumers that choice.

Not only will you steal a march on your competitors. You will also reap the financial rewards from reaching your target stakeholders more effectively.