Seventy percent of students don’t buy textbooks

Seventy percent of the Dutch student choose not to buy the textbooks required by their courses. The main reason is that they are too expensive. Students are also frustrated because they often have to read only a few chapters of the books.

According to a study by Bookboon.com, conducted in the summer of 2012 among 1145 students, nine out of ten students find textbooks too expensive. They look for cheaper options, for example copying the chapters to copy or searching  for online alternatives.

The study also shows that more than half of the students, if they decide to buy textbooks,  buy new ones. The main reason is that often the latest editions of the books are required, and those are not available on the second hand market yet. One third of the students buy used books. The rest makes use of alternatives, for example borrows books from the library.

Although digital reading is increasingly popular, Dutch students still prefer printed textbooks. Students find it easier to read and take notes when the text is on paper. Still, they see the benefits of digital textbooks: they are cheaper, easier to carry and easier to find.

The same study was conducted in the United States: here 58 percent of students prefer digital books. Bookboon’s COO Thomas Buus Madsen believes that the Dutch students will follow: “A few years ago American students also preferred paper books. Today, thanks to e-readers and tablets being cheaper and the grater range of digital textbooks being available, they change their preference.”

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