We’ve been saying for years that students aren’t ready to embrace e-textbooks (See Students Give E-Textbooks a Failing Grade), and now the prestigious Book Industry Study Group confirms it.  In a survey called Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education, BISG informs us that 75% of college students prefer printed textbooks instead of e-texts. Publishers Weekly cites student preference for print’s “look and feel, as well as its permanence and ability to be resold.”

The other salient finding was that price is the biggest factor textbook buying decisions, with many of those surveyed buying off Amazon, buying used or previous or international editions or renting (11%). Twelve percent said they prefer e-textbooks.  But the eye-opener was this: “More than 40% of survey respondents said they bought a textbook from a pirate Web site, or know others who have (15% said they personnally have bought a textbook from a pirate site and 25% said they knew some one who had). Many reported copying their friends’ textbooks.”

Details in BISG Survey Finds Students Prefer Print

Richard Curtis