Students still prefer print textbooks over digital

Study suggests college students are slow to adopt eTextbooks

College students still prefer print textbooks over digital textbooks, partially because they can’t resell eBooks at the end of a semester, a new study found.

The report, released by the National Association of College Stores, was based on a survey of 12,000 college students from 20 campuses around the country.

“A majority of college students still prefer print textbooks over digital, though many would opt for including a digital component with the textbook if given the choice,” the researchers said.

Eight percent of the survey’s respondents said that they have bought at least one print textbook as a student, but only 20 percent said they had bought a digital textbook. At the same time, more than 40 percent said they would be interested in digital textbooks if it was paired with a print option.

Indeed, more than half of the students said they had purchased print/digital bundles.