Romance Reader Insights: Book Format

Results of my first weekly Instagram poll about the reading habits and preferences of romance readers.

Mar 17, 2025

Last week I launched a new feature on the Romancing the Data Instagram account—the Romance Reader Pulse Check, a weekly poll about the reading habits and preferences of romance readers.

Today I’m sending this recap to all subscribers, but going forward it will be a benefit provided to paid subscribers only. Paid subscribers can also suggest questions to include in the weekly poll.

Free subscribers can still see poll results by visiting the Instagram post.

Upgrade to paid

The first question I posed: Which format do you primarily read in?

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Results

The poll received 360 votes over the course of a week (March 10-16, 2025). Here are the final results:

Which format do you primarily read in?

Ebooks – 63%
Audiobooks – 15%
Physical books – 13%
Don’t have a primary format – 9%

Comments

The 60 comments on the post reflect a variety of reading preferences with common themes:

Ebooks are favored for convenience, portability, and accessibility (adjustable font size, easier to borrow from libraries). Readers often prioritize ebooks for these practical reasons.
Physical/print books are cherished for their tactile appeal and as collectible "trophies," though some readers mention limited space as a drawback.
Audiobooks are popular for multitasking but are sometimes criticized for narration quality or difficulty focusing.
Mixed formats are common, with some readers balancing ebooks, audiobooks, and print depending on mood, environment, or availability.
Library access via apps like Libby and Hoopla is frequently mentioned as a key reason for ebook adoption.

Overall, convenience, accessibility, and lifestyle preferences strongly influence format choices.

Do these results surprise you? Let me know in the comments.

Commentary

It appears that ebooks dominate among romance readers!

Keep in mind that this poll made readers choose their primary format (Instagram polls only allow four options and one answer). People in the comments mentioned reading multiple formats, but ebooks seemed to win out as their primary format due to their convenience.

For comparison:

In this 2022 survey by The Happy Guy Marketing, 50% of the participants said print books were their primary format (34% paperback and 16% hardcover), 36% said ebook, and 9% said audiobook.
According to this 2021 Pew Research Centre survey, Americans are spreading their book consumption across several formats with 65% having read a print book in the previous 12 months, 30% having read an ebook, and 23% having listened to an audiobook.

I think a big reason ebooks are more popular among romance readers is due to the amount many of us read (which leads to this week’s poll—see below!). This 2014 study found that the number of books read is the strongest predictor of digital reading adoption.

Also, ebook subscriptions like Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus make ebooks a more affordable option, as do ebook library services like Libby and Hoopla.

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Demographics

Instagram doesn’t provide demographic information on the people who voted in the poll, but here is the current age, gender, and country breakdown of my followers: