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A new survey conducted by Pew Research Center’s Pew Internet and American Life Project revealed that, for the first time, more than a third of Americans own a tablet computing device. According to the survey 34 percent of Americans over the age of 18 now own an iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Google Nexus, or Kindle Fire. This figure dwarfs last year’s 18 percent ownership percentage, showing that tablet adoption is still on the rise. When Pew bagan tracking tablet ownership in 2010, only 3 percent of the target group owned a tablet.
The survey included a few notable demographic trends. Tablet ownership was most popular with those 35 to 44-years-old. Forty-nine percent of people surveyed in this age bracket owned a tablet, compared to eighteen percent of those over 65 years of age who were surveyed.
Not surprisingly, tablet ownership was also positively correlated with income and education levels, as well as with having a minor child living in the home. Of those who reported annual household income above $75,000, 56 percent owned a tablet device. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed who had attended at least some college owned a tablet device, while 50 percent of those who reported having a child in the home also owned a tablet.
Interestly, these three categories also saw the greatest gains in tablet ownership as compared to last year, indicating that tablet purchasing is trending up among these demographic groups. However, tablet ownership is up across all demographic groups, but older and less affluent in the survey population showed more modest increases. While women reported a slightly higher increase in adoption rates than men, this change was not statistically significant.
Pew conducted the survey by cell phone and landline, calling more than two thousand individuals over the age of 18. There are always limitations inherent in any survey, but Pew’s decision to call both landlines and cell phone lines means they are more likely to capture data from respondents who don’t have a landline, leading to a more accurate representation of tablet ownership.
While these numbers do not specifically reflect iPad ownership, it is likely that iPad enthusiasm and adoption spurred the decision to purchase a tablet computer, even if that tablet wasn’t an iPad. Although the iPad’s marketshare has decreased, it is still very closely associated with the idea of tablet computing.
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