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A new infographic from the Pew Research Project for Excellence in Journalism puts the shift in news consumption to tablet devices in quantifiable perspective. According to the report used to create the infographic, 11% of Americans report owning a tablet device, and 77% of those people use their tablets every day. Furthermore, tablet users spend an average of 1 hour and 35 minutes on their tablets each day.Getting news via their devices is a popular activity for tablet owners. 53% of study participants claimed to get news on their tablets every day. Other popular daily activities for tablet owners include getting email (54%), using social networks (39%), playing games (30%), reading books (17%), and watching videos (13%).A trend has already started -- people are using their tablets as a replacement for getting news via other sources. 79% claim to get news on their tablets instead of their desktop computers or laptops. 59% have replaced print newspapers and magazines with their tablets for news consumption, and 57% have replaced television with their tablets.Tablet users show no signs of going back to their old consumption habits and news sources. Approximately 1 out of 2 tablet owners surveyed in this study prefer to access both headlines and longer news articles via their tablet devices than their desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, or print.Click the image below to view the full-size infographic.

Interestingly, news apps are just starting to grow in popularity. Most tablet users still access news via their browsers, but of those who do use apps to get news, they are typically power tablet users and are very satisfied with their tablet news experiences.Tablet users also tend to be more interested in news, better educated, and have higher incomes than the general public. More tablet users are employed full-time than members of the general public. When it comes to age, the differences between tablet owners and the general public might surprise you:

  • 18-29 years old: 22% of both tablet users and the general public
  • 30-49 years old: 46% of tablet owners vs. 35% of the general public
  • 50+ years old: 32% of tablet owners vs. 43% of the general public

Tablet sales are predicted by Forrester Research to double in 2012, and there are likely to be more significant shifts in how consumers use their tablet devices and consume news and information through them for years to come. In fact, it would be extremely interesting to compare the data from this Pew Research study to a similar study a year from now. It's safe to bet that these numbers will look quite different with even more people turning to their tablets for news consumption and more.Image: Pew Research

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