62% of College Students Prefer Print Over eTextbooks - Down 10% Since 2015

Despite the growing eTextbook market, college students prefer print textbooks for academic learning, according to a survey by Direct Textbook.

News provided by

Direct Textbook Inc.

Sep 08, 2021, 10:12 ET

SEATTLE, Sept. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Six out of ten college students prefer print textbooks to eTextbooks, according to a survey of more than 400 active students conducted by Direct Textbook, a free price comparison service that helps students save up to 90% on books.

That represents a 10% decline in print textbook preference since 2015, when 72% of students reported favoring print textbooks, but it doesn't mean students are embracing eTextbooks.

Student preference for eTextbooks increased by just 2% from 2015 (27%) to 2021 (29%), while the number of students who have no preference increased by nearly 8% over that same period.

Key findings:

62% of students prefer print textbooks to eTextbooks
29% prefer eTextbooks
9% have no preference

Students who prefer print textbooks cite the following reasons:

Print textbooks are easier to read (78%)
Difficulty concentrating on eTextbooks (63%)
The ability to physically highlight (61%)
Internet access is not required (51%)
eTextbooks are difficult to navigate and bookmark (50%)
eTextbooks make students' eyes hurt (44%)
The ability to write on pages (35%)
The ability to resell print textbooks (31%)
They end up printing eTextbook pages anyway (25%)

Students who prefer eTextbooks over print textbooks cite the following reasons:

Search features (88%)
eTextbooks are environmentally friendly (70%)
eTextbooks are cheaper (69%)
The ability to adjust font size and brightness (66%)
eTextbooks are lighter (57%)
eTextbooks do not need returned (56%)
Text to audio features (53%)
The ability to use apps with eTextbooks (32%)

Insights from students who have no preference include:

58% say print textbooks are easier to read and annotate
47% say print textbooks are easier to learn from
69% say print textbooks are easier to find at bookstores
75% say eTextbooks are cheaper
53% say they prefer to carry eTextbooks on campus

The eTextbook market continues to grow despite student preference for print textbooks. Per Student Monitor, eTextbooks represented 20% of average student textbook purchases in 2020, up from 9% in 2015.

Complete survey results can be found at https://www.directtextbook.com/articles/1023/print-vs-etextbooks-survey.

Since 2002, Direct Textbook has helped more than 35 million students, parents and professionals find the lowest prices on new, used, rental and ebook textbooks. Direct Textbook can be found online at http://www.directtextbook.com.

Contact:
Brian Morris
[email protected]

SOURCE Direct Textbook Inc.