millennials & print - 2015

Millennials & Print: How & Why Your Youngest Members Read from the Page

www.omnipress.com© 2015 Omnipress. All Rights Reserved.

Preface ...........................................................................................................................3

How to Use this Survey ...........................................................................................4

Survey Results… ........................................................................................................5

Conclusion: 5 Key Takeaways ............................................................................. 19

About Omnipress ................................................................................................... 20

Omnipress | Millennials & Print: How & Why Your Youngest Members Read from the Page

PrefaceEducational content is best delivered in print. To make your annual meeting as meaningful as possible, print is an

important and necessary component. When it comes to association conferences, print is a best practice.

Strong views? Yes, but with experience and evidence to back them up, we stand by them. Recently, associations

have been tempted to stop printing conference programs, proceedings, and other materials. That would be a

grave mistake.

“One of the reasons I don’t like using digital formats for education materials is because it is really hard to go back and reference things. I can’t tab or bookmark pages the way I can with a printed book. With a digital book, I have to remember something, a name, a keyword, in order to use a search function to find what I’m looking for. With a printed book I can flip through the pages looking for it.”

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How to Use this Survey

Even though your membership is becoming younger every year, with baby boomers leaving the industry

in droves and young professionals joining the workforce, print holds an important—almost sacred—place

in your arsenal.

Millennials, as those born between 1981 and 1996 are often called, have never known a world without the

internet, so surely they don’t want printed programs when they attend a professional conference. Right?

No! In fact, it’s dangerous to assume that millennials, as techy as they may appear, want everything to be online.

Printed materials matter to young professionals, more than you’d ever imagine.

In the following pages, you’ll see the results of an independent survey that was conducted of millennials (in this

case, their ages were 22-33). These young people chose to participate in the survey; they may or may not be

members of a professional association. Their identities remain a mystery.

What we have learned about them comes from their responses about printed professional and educational

materials. We found their answers interesting, thought-provoking, and more than a little surprising. They were, if

nothing else, a reminder to check any assumptions about millennials at the door. Let them speak for themselves,

as they did here, and do your best to listen to what they value.

That said, print is the best choice for delivering educational materials—whether or not millennials or other

members of your association consider it to be. That doesn’t mean your association should cram printed

materials down the throats of your members and attendees. Simply offering many options and avenues to

information will suffice.

Consider the results of this survey as part of a robust conference content strategy. Remember that your content—much

more than the venue, the food, or any number of other factors—is what sets your association apart and creates the

driving need to return to next year’s annual meeting. This dish is best served as many ways as your attendees want to

consume it.

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Question 1: In the past 12 months, I have…

Summary:Most millennials surveyed have some experience with educational or professional materials. To kick off the

survey, we asked the participants how they have consumed each type of content over the past year.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

80%

80%

37%

11%

3%

Read at least one piece of printed educational material. (book,

magazine, article, etc.)

Read at least one piece of digital educational content. (access via

smartphone, website, or eReader)

Listened to at least one piece of audio educational material.

None of the above.

Other. (please specify)

Takeaway: Despite the reports that print is dead, we see, even from this initial inquiry, that this does not necessarily follow

for young professionals. Print and digital are neck-and-neck at 80% each; scores for audio, none, and other

(which included videos, webinars, and conferences) are significantly lower.

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Summary:In this question, we delve deeper into the reading habits of the millennials we surveyed. We asked them to

estimate what percentage of their educational reading was done in print, online, and through audio sources.

Neither print nor digital is shown as the only source of information (4% and 7%, respectively). Likewise, neither

format is avoided altogether (14% print and 10% digital). Most survey-takers use both sources 25-75% of the

time. Print is used 25-75% of the time by 82% of respondents; digital is used 84% for the same range.

In print. In digital form (mobile, website, eReader). By listening to audio.

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

18%

43% 45%35%

31%

12%

30%

46%

61% 60%

70%

28%

9%3%

10%

Takeaway: Most millennials choose to consume educational and professional content in multiple formats. Having only

digital content available for your next conference won’t meet the needs of all of your attendees; neither will

offering a printed program alone be sufficient.

Question 2: Estimate a percentage for each category: I consume educational materials…

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Summary:When asked how they prefer to read something they need to learn, half (50%) of the survey-takers choose

printed materials. By contrast, only 18% prefer digital materials. “Other” answers represented a mix: One

respondent prints out materials that s/he finds online; another starts with print and then looks online.

50%

18%

31%

1%

Printed materials. When I need to commit something to memory, print works best for me.

Digital materials. I prefer to work from my computer rather than a printed book.

Doesn’t matter. I haven’t found a significant difference between print and digital when I’m learning something new.

Other. (please specify)

Takeaway: Millennials are adaptable. They have learned, in this digital age, to make distinctions about which format works

best for which situation. The adaptability of millennials also came into play—31% do not find a significant

difference between the two. Several mentioned that many factors impact their decision; others use a

combination of sources to learn.

Question 3: When I am reading something I need to learn, I prefer _________.

“Reading in digital formats can trigger headaches and migraines for a lot of people, including myself. This is often overlooked in ‘print vs. digital’ discussions. I would not be able to learn or work efficiently with digital materials.”

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Summary:Digital content is poised to grow—56% will consume more of it in 2019 than they do now, while only 4% expect

to consume less digital content. Audio content will also grow (+22%), with just 5% predicting they will use audio

less in five years. Print materials are more or less a wash—25% expect to consume more print; 23% will read

less print in the future. A full third (33%) of respondents don’t plan to change their current habits at all.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

25%

56%

22%

23%

4%

5%

33%

1%

Reading printed professional and educational materials more often than I do now.

Reading digital professional and educational content

more often than I do now.

Listening to audio professional and educational content more

often than I do now.

Reading printed professional and educational materials

less often than I do now.

Reading digital professional and educational content less


Listening to audio professional and educational content less


Using the same materials the same way that I do now.

Other (please specify).

Takeaway: The move to digital is palpable, but many millennials do plan to continue to use print. Over half (58%) will read

more print or the same amount. What does this tell us? Digital is going to be part of the equation, and clearly

it’s growing, but print isn’t going away as fast as many people think.

Question 4: In the next 5 years, I see myself ________.

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Summary:Over half (59%) agreed that they find it easier to learn from printed materials. In fact, this question delivered one

of the highest average ratings in the section of the survey.

Disagree18%

No opinion23%

Agree59%

Takeaway: This should come as no surprise; we learned in Question 3 that many survey-takers prefer print for

learning. Preference and ease of accomplishing something important, like professional development,

often go hand in hand.

Question 5: It is easier for me to learn from printed materials.

“The one thing about a [book] is that the physical layout and the turning of my head allow me to recount things in a specific place. For instance, I can remember an exact area of a topic that I read easier with a physical text than with a digital text. I don’t know the exact reasons why, but I can turn back to the point and know if it was on the left or right, top or bottom of a certain area with a printed text.”

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Summary:Using the search functionality available for digital content can be convenient, but it’s not always as helpful as

we’d like. That might be why 58% of millennials surveyed agreed that printed materials are better for reference.

One survey-taker explained it this way: “I find [printed materials] more useful for reference purposes, and a moderate

degree of my recall is tied to positionality—being able to recall where on a page/where in a chapter a concept is

explained. In a digital medium, you lose some of that depth; for example, knowing whether a fact appears on the

right or left hand page, and at what point in the chapter is more abstract and less useful for my recall.”

Disagree24%

No opinion18%

Agree58%

Takeaway: When a reader has to scroll to see an entire page, concentration is disrupted. If a device shows just one page at

a time, anchors—which ground comprehension to a physical location on a page of a book—are further eroded.

The same page is more or less being rewritten again and again, which means the memory of the information is

not tied to a spot on the page and is therefore less “sticky.”1

Question 6: Printed materials are better for reference.

“I think print is important because you can keep it and refer to it later. With digital things, I feel like it gets lost on the hard drive and is less accessible or I even forget I have it completely.”

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Summary:Most (57%) respondents agree with this statement. Credit once again millennial’s ability to discern when to

use different formats to consume information. The next several questions address this adaptability even more.

Consider the value of anchors for complex concepts. Research suggests that readers remember where they

read a piece of information much like they remember driving in a once-unfamiliar town—turn left after the

pharmacy and, in half a mile, take a right at the post office. Likewise, a millennial—or anyone, for that matter—

might read that fascinating fact about their chosen industry in the middle of the left-hand page.2

Disagree 18%

No opinion 25%

Agree 57%

Takeaway: It’s worth noting that, more often than not, content provided at and for conferences falls into this category.

Conference content does not tend to be light and easy reading. All the more reason, according to the millennials

surveyed, to offer your event content in print.

Question 7: For complex concepts, I prefer to read print.

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Summary:Content is an important factor millennials consider when choosing print or digital. For educational and

professional materials, we have seen that the survey-takers have, on the whole, chosen print (see questions

3, 5, 6, and 7). Here, 60% agree that the type of information being consumed is important.

Disagree21%

No opinion19%

Agree60%

Takeaway: There is a difference between reading, say, an article about work/life balance in a mainstream health magazine

online and combing through dense, technical research in a professional journal. Millennials understand that,

and they want to join associations that do, too.

Question 8: My preferences change depending on what I’m reading.

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Summary:Nearly 3/4 of respondents (74%) find taking notes to be important. Many providers include note-taking features when

you deliver your conference content online, but there are many advantages to taking notes by hand instead of, for

instance, typing them on a laptop at a conference.

People can type faster than they write by hand, but taking more notes does not necessarily indicate an

improvement. In truth, the fact that you can’t write down by hand everything you hear helps you learn better.

Attendees to a conference must glean the most important information as they are writing; they must, in effect,

summarize the information as they are hearing it.3

That mental process contributes to retention in a way that simple dictation—typing exactly what you hear—

does not. Taking notes with a stylus on a tablet is considered a good compromise of digital and analog skills.

Takeaway: In terms of your conference content, consider this:

At the very least, make note-taking an important

feature for the digital content you provide to

attendees. Better yet, offer printed materials, with

ample space for jotting down their thoughts, as well.

In terms of retention and note-taking, among other

reasons, print is the best choice for educational

materials.

Question 9: Taking notes is important to me when I’m reading for education or professional development.

“I prefer printed materials because I am able to highlight, mark up, and jot my own notes down next to things that are important. Print materials, I think, are also less strenuous on your eyes. Definitely prefer to physically hold something (sounds odd but I do the same with music—buy the CD then copy to PC so I have both formats). I don’t think you’re able to get the same effect with something in a digital format.”

Disagree13%

No opinion13%

Agree74%

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Summary:An overwhelming majority (86%) of respondents agree with this statement. Millennials have not given up on

print, and they don’t want your association to, either. Sometimes conventional wisdom is, when you truly look

at the facts of the issue, dead wrong.

Disagree4%

No opinion10%

Agree86%

Takeaway: Considering their answers to others questions on this survey, the conclusion could be drawn that the “place”

millennials see for printed material is, in fact, educational and professional content. To review:

• Question 3: Millennials prefer to read print for

something they need to learn.

• Question 5: Millennials find it easier to learn

from printed materials: 59% agree.

• Question 6: Printed materials are better for

reference: 58% agree.

• Question 7: For complex concepts, I prefer

to read print: 57% agree.

Question 10: The world is more connected than ever, but I think there’s still a place for printed materials.

“I get headaches and eye strain when I’m reading online. Also, I can’t mark notes. I also just like turning the pages in a book and seeing how much I have accomplished reading.”

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Summary:Over half (53%) agree with this statement. Millennials do, in fact, value printed materials at association conferences.

Nearly 1/3 (30%) had no opinion; some survey-takers may have little experience with professional conferences. One

could presume that a portion of these survey-takers would want a printed program as well.

Disagree17%

No opinion30%

Agree53%

Takeaway: When taken in combination with other information we’ve gleaned so far, there is a compelling case for printing

programs and other conference materials. Not only do your more seasoned members and attendees like having

their materials in print, but millennials appreciate it as well.

Question 11: When I attend a professional conference, I want a printed program book.

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Summary:Just like a printed program won’t satisfy all of your attendees, neither will a website. That’s why the results on

this question are split. A similar number of respondents fell into each of these categories:

• 38% disagree

• 32% had no opinion

• 30% agree

Disagree38%

No opinion32%

Agree30%

Takeaway: Once again, this represents a good reason to offer content in print and online. Many opinions are represented

here. It’s easy to conclude, based on the answers to this question and the previous one, that millennials

appreciate having access to both print and digital resources for professional and educational materials.

Question 12: When I attend a professional conference, I prefer to look at a website or an app for information.

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Summary:Nearly 2/3 of millennials surveyed (64%) agree that they will never stop reading printed educational materials. Nearly a

quarter (23%) of survey-takers had no opinion; only 13% disagree.

Disagree13%

No opinion23%Agree

64%

Takeaway: Though they expect to read less print in the future (Question 4), millennials anticipate that they will never stop

reading printed materials. That’s rather alarming, considering that we tend to view millennials as tech-hungry,

media-obsessed, attention-deprived individuals.

When we look at the facts, it becomes clear that the values of millennials do not differ greatly from those

expressed by other members of your organization. These young professionals will never stop reading printed

educational materials. Their message to you: Don’t stop producing them!

Question 13: I will never stop reading printed educational materials.

“Personally, I find digital media to be more taxing on my eyes and more stressful in general. The tactile feedback of a book, even the smell of one, is much more comforting and inviting than digital alternatives.”

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Summary:Taking all answers that include print together, a whopping 89% of millennials surveyed choose to consume

at least some of their professional and education content in print, whether on its own (9%) or in combination

with other methods (80%). The most popular answer was print and digital, earning over half (55%) of the total

responses.

Printed materialsexclusively.9%

Digital contentexclusively.6%

Audio contentexclusively.1%

Print and digital.55%

Print and audio.2%

Digital and audio.3%

Print, digital,and audio.23%

Takeaway: Keep this in mind when you plan your next conference. Multiple products are preferred by young professionals,

but if you must choose print or digital, the votes have been cast: Millennials prefer to learn from print.

Question 14: If you could consume professional and educational material any way you want, which would you pick?

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Conclusion: 5 Key Takeaways

1. Offer both print and digital resources. There is no single right answer to how you should deliver

educational content to your attendees, but it is clear that eliminating print altogether is not what

millennials want.

2. Millennials have grown up in a digital world, but they do value print, maybe more because

it was always an option, but never the only choice available. For professional and educational

materials, filled with information that is important to internalize and sometimes complex, print

is preferred.

3. Millennials use different formats for many reasons under specific circumstances. Young

professionals, more so than their older counterparts, have mastered the art of choosing the

format based on important factors, including convenience, content, and purpose. To meet the

needs of all or your members, choose multiple formats to deliver your association conference

content. As one respondent wrote, “We can have both; it’s not a war.”

4. Reading print and reading digital are two distinct activities in the brain. It’s important to note,

without getting too technical, that while reading is one skill, the brain doesn’t deal with print and

digital resources the same way. Reading on a screen is “non-linear”—skimming the text with your

eyes darting around the page. Reading print, on the other hand, is linear, which involves deeper

reading skills and better attention, which results in higher retention.4

5. The relationship millennials have with printed materials is different from what members of

Generation X or baby boomers experience—but it’s not lesser. Millennials choose print when

it suits them best and they are committed to that decision. In fact, the Pew Research Institute

reports that 88% of Americans ages 16-29 have read at least one book in the past year; compare

that to 79% of people 30 and older. Over 2/3 (67%) of the same group have read a book at

least once a week. Those over 30? Just 58%. Millennials crave print and they are, in fact, fiercely

devoted to it.5

To quote one survey-taker, “I have had technology fail me several times. Important files have

been deleted, smartphone batteries have died at the most inopportune times, and not every

conference venue provides a reliable signal for accessing online materials. … [T]here is a place

for printed materials.”

Sources1. http://www.wired.com/2014/05/reading-on-screen-versus-paper/

2. http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v309/n5/full/scientificamerican1113-48.html

3. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/

4. http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-18/your-paper-brain-and-your-kindle-brain-arent-same-thing

5. http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2014/09/PI_YoungerAmericansandLibraries_091014.pdf

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http://www.wired.com/2014/05/reading-on-screen-versus-paper/

http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v309/n5/full/scientificamerican1113-48.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/

http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-18/your-paper-brain-and-your-kindle-brain-arent-same-thing

http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2014/09/PI_YoungerAmericansandLibraries_091014.pdf

About Omnipress

Omnipress helps associations collect, produce,

and deliver educational resources for their

members and attendees.

Conference printing has been in Omnipress’ wheelhouse

since it opened its doors in 1977. Over the years, we have

become the best at what we do: helping associations

provide educational content to their attendees and

members. High-quality, professional printed materials

come standard when you work with Omnipress. Our

true value comes when we can offer more, whether

that’s help with formatting and design or additional

products and services, like abstract management and

paper collection system, online conference materials,

conference apps, and USBs.

Beyond the unparalleled quality of our conference

printing services, you’ll receive the exceptional

customer service you’ve come to expect from

Omnipress. Our dedicated account managers and

project managers are committed to making the

system work for your association. We are proud of

our people, who we consider to be the best answer

to the question, “Why Omnipress?”

Our customers rely on us for our nearly 40 yearsof dedicated customer service, vast knowledge of associations, and undisputed dependability.

www.omnipress.com© 2015 Omnipress. All Rights Reserved.

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millennials & print - 2015

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