Strong take-up of tablets and smartphones among all age groups means digital media is finally 'as inclusive and accessible' as TV and print, study says
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Smartphones, tablet computers and e-readers are "finally making digital media as inclusive and accessible" to all ages and genders as print and television, a new study has found.
Deloitte's annual State of the Media Democracy survey found tablets were now "as likely to be found in the hands of over 55s as among the under 24s" and that adoption of smartphones among women is now similar to that among men.
The study, based on a survey of 2,276 people in the UK last December, concluded: "These new technology platforms are finally making digital media as inclusive and accessible as the enduringly popular traditional formats that pre-dated them."
Deloitte's research suggests that the average UK citizen owns 9.7 devices capable of accessing media.
It estimates that five million people own e-readers and nearly three million now own a tablet computer, with strong take-up in all age groups. This runs contrary to previous experience where men, under 35, were the early adopters.
Deloitte said: "The United Kingdom has historically been an early adopter of technology relative to its European neighbours, and our research has shown that it has maintained this edge. UK consumers enjoy new devices more than their European counterparts and demonstrate a growing appetite for new media services to use on them."
A third of tablet computer owners said they had read a magazine on it, and a quarter of respondents wanted to be able to buy and download magazines on to any device they own. However, the study found that despite rising tablet ownership, 88 per cent of magazine readers still prefer the print edition.
Deloitte added: "It is important to note that this adoption is complementary, not cannibalistic of traditional media and traditional devices, which still represent the majority of media consumption and delivery."
The UK consumer's favourite piece of technology was the laptop, knocking the TV from the top spot for the first time.
