How tablets and e-readers are changing the UK's digital diet

UM London carried out research into how owners of tablets and e-readers use them and attitudes of non-owners towards these devices.

The study, Will Tablet Computers Change Our Lives? found that 69% of tablet owners think most people will have a tablet/e-reader in the future.

Tablet owners feel that their lives have been enriched by their devices, with 43% saying that people with tablets/e-readers are less bored now (38% of e-reader owners say this).

However, 11% of tablet owners think there is peer pressure to get a tablet/e-reader (4% of e-reader owners).

There is a clear difference in how owners view their devices too: 41% of tablet owners think of it as ‘just a toy’ but just 17% of e-reader users do so.

 

 

Attitudes to tablet and e-readers

Source: UM London

Among owners of tablets, 29% browse the internet on their device, with 4% using it as an e-reader.

Seven percent of tablet owners say they use it to access news, while 7% also access social networks and send email on their tablets. 

As Angry Birds devotees can testify, tablets are popular for gaming, with 11% of owners saying they use their device to play games.

Activities by device

 

Source: UM London

The study also shows that tablet owners are early adopters when it comes to technology items generally, with 29% of them saying that they buy the latest cutting-edge technology as soon as it's available. Just 6% of e-reader owners say this.

E-reader owners appear to be more circumspect: 41% like to buy the latest technology but only after considering which is best. This compares to 30% of tablet owners.

And 27% of e-reader owners (9% of tablet owners) say that they like to buy products that have proven technology and are not just the latest must-have gadget.

Attitudes to tech

 

Source: UM London

Twenty six percent of tablet owners and 36% of e-reader owners spend at least £5 a month on apps.

The most popular types of apps among tablet owners are games (50%), social networks (43%) and weather (41%).

Types of apps downloaded by tablet and e-reader owners (%)
	Tablet	E-Reader
Games	50%	2%
Social networking	43%	3%
Weather apps	41%	2%
Music	38%	1%
Books	37%	64%
Retail apps	35%	4%
TV Player	33%	1%
Newspapers	27%	5%
TV Programmes	26%	1%
Films	25%	2%
Navigation	23%	1%
Microblogging	19%	0%
Creative apps	18%	-
Sport apps	18%	1%
Travel apps	17%	1%
Photography apps	17%	1%
Medical/ Health/ Diet apps	15%	1%
Magazines	11%	2%
Business apps	11%	1%
Other	4%	1%
Not downloaded any apps	18%	32%

Source: UM London

Methodology

The research was conducted in August 2011 using UM’s Curiosity Panel. This involved an online questionnaire answered by 5,000 nationally representative adults.

This article was first published on brandrepublic.com