Overall Survey Results:


Kindle Nation Winter 2010 Citizen Survey


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With current controversies and competition involving ebook prices and devices, your experiences and views as a reader are of great interest to other readers and to authors, publishers, booksellers, journalists, investors and those who follow what is going on in the book business. In our last two surveys (April 2009 and October 2009), we've had extremely high levels of participation and attracted the interest of all the primary players. With your participation in the current survey, we hope to help Amazon, authors and publishers, and others see more clearly than ever what's important to readers as we enter a new decade. I've limited this survey to 10 questions, but I also hope you will use the comment areas to say whatever needs saying. Future Kindle Nation Daily posts will provide detailed reports on your responses, but your confidentiality and privacy will always remain well-guarded.

Please note: Two notes about tiny glitches in the survey: The "comments" area only appears on survey questions 1-5. Please feel free to email any additional comments to kindlenation@gmail.com. Please ignore the "Most likely" column at the far right-hand of survey questions 8 and 10.
1Please indicate what devices you use for reading Kindle or other ebook content, and when you first began using them for digital reading. (Please select all that apply.)
 
 1 = Before 2007 , 2 = 2007 or 2008 , 3 = January-Novembe-
r 2009 , 4 = December 2009 to Present , 5 = Not Yet, But I Expect to Get One in 2010 , 6 = Do Not Use
Answer
123456
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
Kindle 1 (First-Generation; No Longer Sold by Amazon)
   
1308 4.2
Kindle 2 or Kindle Global (6-inch display)
   
1700 3.6
Kindle DX (US or Global)
   
1148 5.5
Nook, Sony, or Other Dedicated eReader
   
1086 5.7
Desktop or Laptop PC or Netbook (with Kindle for PC App)
   
1320 4.4
iPhone or iPod Touch (with Kindle for iPhone App)
   
1266 4.9
Mac (with Kindle for Mac App when it is released)
   
1145 5.7
iPad (with Kindle for iPad App when it is released)
 
1123 5.8
Blackberry (with Kindle for Blackberry App when it is released)
 
1106 5.9
Other Device (Please use the comment area to specify)
   
1072 5.6
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.


2Each of the statements below attempts to explain or describe one or more of the issues in the recent controversy involving the "Big Six" publishers and prices for ebooks in the Kindle Store or Apple's recently announced iBooks Store. For each statement, please select the ranking that best describes the extent to which the statement does or does not ring true for you.
 
 1 = Strongly agree , 2 = Somewhat agree , 3 = Somewhat disagree , 4 = Strongly disagree , 5 = Don't know/Don't have an opinion
Answer
12345
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
Kudos to big publishers for standing up for authors and rightsholders.
   
1813 3.4
Hardcovers are overpriced and ebooks should be much cheaper.
   
1866 1.4
Publishers & Apple should be investigated for price-fixing collusion.
   
1851 2.6
Big publishers are dinosaurs ensuring their own eventual extinction.
   
1848 2.5
Amazon blundered by dropping MacMillan titles, now has egg on face.
   
1849 3.5
By dropping MacMillan books, Amazon took stand vs. high-priced ebooks.
   
1845 2.4
Publishers & Amazon should work together for $9.99 max ebook price.
   
1869 1.5
Amazon was keeping prices too low, so what goes around comes around.
   
1839 3.8
Publishers aren't paying authors enough regardless of prices.
   
1843 3.2
Publishers and authors need to put readers' interests first, not last.
   
1850 2.0
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.


3Amazon is widely expected to announce a new "Super Kindle" or Kindle 3 by the end of 2010. How much are you looking forward to these new features that may come to the Kindle in 2010?
 
 1 = I can't wait and would buy a new Kindle for this! , 2 = I can't wait so I am buying an iPad and transitioning away from the Kindle , 3 = I'm looking forward to it, but only if it is provided for current Kindle owners. , 4 = I'm mildly interested in this feature. , 5 = I'm happy for others to have this, but it doesn't matter to me. , 6 = I don't care about this and don't think it should be added.
Answer
123456
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
Audible menuing, super-size fonts for blind, visually impaired, others
   
1860 4.4
Natural "Mirasol"-type color screen that is legible in bright sunlight
   
1860 3.3
Touch screen, virtual keyboard, finger/stylus input, fast refresh
   
1860 3.5
Folders, labels, or other content management tools
   
1868 3.0
Kindle Apps Store with new tools & features from 3rd-party developers
   
1861 3.4
Full support for languages other than English. (Specify in comment)
   
1860 4.8
Direct duty-free sales, wireless web and blogs for users outside U.S.
   
1858 4.6
Full support for music, video content, PDF with zoom & voice input
   
1855 4.0
Full support for ePub books and documents
   
1851 3.1
Full, seamless access to Amazon Store for downloadable content
   
1846 2.9
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.


4Please use the following ranking system to estimate as well as you can your current book buying habits, since you began reading on a Kindle or Kindle App. (Note: Although some of the choices involve free content, we're using the word "buy" generally here to refer to any books that you may acquire.)
 
 1 = I don't buy them , 2 = I buy fewer than 5 per year , 3 = I buy 5 to 15 per year , 4 = I buy 15 to 30 per year , 5 = I buy more than 30 per year
Answer
12345
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
Kindle ebooks that are priced at $10 and above
   
1854 1.8
Kindle ebooks that are priced between 99 cents and $9.99
   
1854 3.8
Kindle ebooks that are free or less than 99 cents
   
1861 3.9
Used print books
   
1838 2.0
New hardcover or paperback print books from Amazon
   
1850 2.1
New hardcover or paperback print books from independent booksellers
   
1864 1.8
New hardcover or paperback print books from chain or big-box stores
   
1861 1.8
Library print or audio books
   
1861 1.8
Audiobooks from Audible.com or the iTunes Store
   
1848 1.5
Free ebooks that I download from other websites or services
   
1865 2.5
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.


5Please use the following ranking system to estimate as well as you can your previous book buying habits, before you began reading on the Kindle or a Kindle App.
 
 1 = I didn't buy them , 2 = I bought fewer than 5 per year , 3 = I bought 5 to 15 per year , 4 = I bought 15 to 30 per year , 5 = I bought more than 30 per year
Answer
12345
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
Used print books
   
1850 2.7
New hardcover or paperback print books from Amazon
   
1851 2.9
New hardcover or paperback print books from independent booksellers
   
1858 2.3
New hardcover or paperback print books from chain or big-box stores
   
1872 2.7
Library print and audio books
   
1859 2.0
Audiobooks from Audible.com, the iTunes Store, or elsewhere
   
1856 1.5
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.


611.  As a 59-year-old male of Cherokee and Scots-Irish lineage, I find myself mildly interested in the profile and demographics of Kindle owners. If you would like to share a little information, I'd be interested. I won't share individual information with anyone else, but I may aggregate it and write in general terms about who we are as citizens of Kindle Nation. (Please choose all that apply to you.)
 
Answer
0%100%
Number of
Responses		Response
Ratio
I am a female.
   
1058 56.6%
I am a male.
   
795 42.5%
I am under 25 years of age.
   
8 <1%
I am between 25 and 54 years of age.
   
733 39.2%
I am 55 years of age or older.
   
1117 59.7%
I love technology and pick up new technology knowledge easily.
   
1417 75.8%
I am not tech-savvy, but I had to have a Kindle.
   
331 17.7%
To the extent my budget allows, I am an earlly adopter of new technology.
   
1346 72.0%
I have this Kindle gadget, but I don't know how to use it.
   
10 <1%
I am an author, publisher, blogger, or journalist.
   
165 8.8%
I frequently speak and read a language other than English. (Please specify)
   
116 6.2%
I am a U.S. resident.
   
1770 94.7%
I am a resident of a country other than the U.S.
   
77 4.1%
I use my Kindle frequently in travel outside my country of residence.
   
341 18.2%
 Totals1869100%
7Please select the choices that describe your feelings about each of these groups, companies, or individuals, as a customer who reads and might buy their books or products, in terms of your loyalty to them or willingness to trust what they say about books, book prices and selection, and the cost factors involved in the book business.
 
 1 = Very Negative , 2 = Negative , 3 = Neutral or No Feelings , 4 = Positive , 5 = Very Positive , 6 = Never heard of them
Answer
123456
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
Bestselling authors
   
1848 3.7
Independent or emerging authors
   
1842 3.7
Self-published authors
   
1842 3.5
Big Six Publishers (MacMillan, Random House, Harper, Hachette, etc.)
   
1846 2.8
Small independent publishers
   
1850 3.5
Literary agents
   
1835 2.9
Amazon
   
1854 4.3
Apple
   
1844 3.3
Jeff Bezos
   
1852 4.0
Steve Jobs
   
1843 3.3
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.
8Please rate the following possible current or future features with respect to their importance in how you feel about owning a current or future Kindle, or another device that you might use for reading ebooks.
 
 1 = This is very important , 2 = This is somewhat important , 3 = This is not very important , 4 = This would have a negative influence on my buying or continuing to use a devic , 5 = Most Likely
Answer
12345
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
e-Ink screen for reading in sunlight and other environments
   
1863 1.4
Backlit screen that can be read at night without a booklight
   
1860 2.3
Weighs about 10 ounces
   
1853 1.7
Weighs about 24 ounces
   
1707 3.3
Has free wireless access to a wide selection of ebooks under $10
   
1857 1.2
I can use it to check email or other websites in a pinch, at no charge
   
1859 2.0
Has a multi-purpose tablet that plays media, runs Apps and surfs web
   
1858 2.5
Has a color touch screen
   
1859 2.4
Has a built-in social network to share thoughts about reading
   
1843 2.9
I can easily convert and read ebooks I've bought or acquired elsewhere
   
1864 1.6
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.
9Please rate the following statements about ebook prices and selection in terms of how well they may apply to your ebook buying behavior.
 
 1 = Strongly disagree , 2 = Disagree , 3 = Agree , 4 = Strongly agree , 5 = Don't know yet
Answer
12345
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
I will probably pay $10 to $14.99 for newly ebook titles if necessary.
   
1860 2.5
I will never pay more than $9.99 for an ebook.
   
1856 2.8
I'll pay over $9.99, but only rarely when I simply must have an ebook.
   
1858 3.1
I'll pay over $9.99, but only for technical or professional ebooks.
   
1845 2.9
With higher bestseller prices, I'll buy more backlist or indie titles.
   
1851 3.4
I'll look to buy ebooks by authors who provide Kindle exclusives.
   
1847 3.3
With recent ebook price wars, I've become more price-conscious.
   
1855 3.1
Publishers know their costs, so I'm happy to pay the prices they set.
   
1855 1.9
Jeff Bezos & Amazon have my back, & I know they price things to sell.
   
1857 3.5
I'd be willing to pay more if I really thought it would go to authors.
   
1856 3.1
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.
10Please indicate how many of each of these devices you have and use regularly in your household, if any. (Please include only those devices that are used at least a couple of times each month).
 
 1 = 0 , 2 = 1 , 3 = 2 , 4 = 3 or more , 5 = Most Likely
Answer
12345
Number of
  Responses		Rating
Score*
Kindle
   
1868 2.4
Other dedicated ebook reader (Nook, Sony ereader, etc.)
   
1773 1.1
Desktop computer
   
1851 2.4
Tablet computer
   
1744 1.1
Netbook computer
   
1754 1.3
Laptop computer (other than a netbook)
   
1850 2.5
iPhone
   
1775 1.4
Blackberry
   
1761 1.3
iPod Touch
   
1769 1.4
Droid, Nexus One, or Other Android phone
   
1741 1.2
*The Rating Score is the weighted average calculated by dividing the sum of all weighted ratings by the number of total responses.
Text Block:
Thanks for participating in the Kindle Nation Winter 2010 Citizen Survey. We respect your privacy and your identity will always remain strictly confidential.
Steve Windwalker, Kindle Nation Daily
 
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