Why people like to read
In our recent report on the rise of e-reading, we asked those who had read a book in the past 12 months to tell us what they like most about book reading. They gave a host of reasons that ranged from the highly practical to the sublime.
Those who talked about personal enrichment used phrases like “being able to experience so many times, places, and events.” Others expressed pleasure at living a “life of the mind.”
For many, reading was a proud lifestyle choice: “It’s better for me to imagine things in my head than watch them on TV.”
One compelling summary thought came from a respondent who declared: “I love being able to get outside myself.”
Why you should ask people what they predict rather than what they prefer
Asking respondents to predict the success of an idea or option may provide a more accurate market response than asking them what they prefer. In my experience, incorporating this new question style into your next customer survey can lead to better response differentiation and reduced overstatement.
“Purchase intent is notoriously overstated in survey responses, showing little correlation with actual sales performance,” Julie Wittes Schlack writes in the Jan. 5 issue of the Harvard Business Review. “Perhaps it’s because we tend to be rationally driven in survey responses and emotionally driven in the heat of the shopping moment. Whatever the reason, as consumers we are lousy predictors of our own future behavior.”
In our recent report on the rise of e-reading, we asked those who had read a book in the past 12 months to tell us what they like most about book reading. They gave a host of reasons that ranged from the highly practical to the sublime.
- 26% of those who had read a book in the past 12 months said that what they enjoyed most was learning, gaining knowledge, and discovering information.
- 15% cited the pleasures of escaping reality, becoming immersed in another world, and the enjoyment they got from using their imaginations.
- 12% said they liked the entertainment value of reading, the drama of good stories, the suspense of watching a good plot unfold.
- 12% said they enjoyed relaxing while reading and having quiet time.
- 6% liked the variety of topics they could access via reading and how they could find books that particularly interested them.
- 4% said they enjoy finding spiritual enrichment through reading and expanding their worldview.
- 3% said they like being mentally challenged by books.
- 2% cited the physical properties of books – their feel and smell – as a primary pleasure.
- In their own words, respondents were eloquent and touching. One respondent noted: “I am an English teacher, so I read to save my sanity from grading essays.”
- Those who talked about quiet entertainment tended toward phrases like “a stress-free escape,” “a nice way to relax,” “I read because it’s not work,” “diverting, entertaining and educational,” and “It draws me away from reality.” That was echoed by a respondent who said reading “takes you away, like a movie in your head.” One wryly said he liked reading “because it helps me with my temper and relaxes me.”
Those who talked about personal enrichment used phrases like “being able to experience so many times, places, and events.” Others expressed pleasure at living a “life of the mind.”
For many, reading was a proud lifestyle choice: “It’s better for me to imagine things in my head than watch them on TV.”
One compelling summary thought came from a respondent who declared: “I love being able to get outside myself.”
Why you should ask people what they predict rather than what they prefer
Asking respondents to predict the success of an idea or option may provide a more accurate market response than asking them what they prefer. In my experience, incorporating this new question style into your next customer survey can lead to better response differentiation and reduced overstatement.
“Purchase intent is notoriously overstated in survey responses, showing little correlation with actual sales performance,” Julie Wittes Schlack writes in the Jan. 5 issue of the Harvard Business Review. “Perhaps it’s because we tend to be rationally driven in survey responses and emotionally driven in the heat of the shopping moment. Whatever the reason, as consumers we are lousy predictors of our own future behavior.”
