Canon: Millennials Haven’t Killed Print

Melville, New York-based Canon U.S.A., the U.S. arm of Tokyo-based Canon Global, announces the results of a recent survey it commissioned and it reports that among its findings are that “nearly half of Americans would feel sad in a world without print.”

The company says that its Print for Action Survey, conducted by Ipsos, was designed to “uncover consumers’ perception and use of printed materials, as well as the importance of print in the minds of tomorrow’s business leaders.”

The company notes that print has been a hugely influential medium for hundreds of years, and it wanted to see if that influence was waning.

“We are pleased to find that, despite living in what seems like a digital world, Millennials still count on print for information and inspiration,” says Shinichi Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A. “With our new Print for Action initiative, our goal is to highlight the power of print’s versatility by coupling Canon’s deep heritage in innovative imaging with proven statistics to educate and to help empower future business leaders.”

The company says that statistics from the Canon Print for Action Survey reveal that the print medium still has a favorable influence in many aspects of the lives of U.S. Millennials. According to the survey:

• Millennials still send printed cards. In fact, for Valentine’s Day 2018, giving printed romance cards (30 percent) won out over sending e-cards (7 percent) for Millennials. Overall, in the 12 months prior to the survey more than half (51 percent) of Millennials gave someone a printed card for a celebratory moment or a holiday compared to just 18 percent that sent a digital greeting on those occasions.
• Other than watching streaming services (56 percent), Millennials turn to books (48 percent) to relax. Nearly half of Millennials surveyed say reading a book makes them feel the most relaxed compared to activities like exercising (37 percent), cooking (37 percent) and meditating (21 percent).
• Millennials still turn to print to plan out their days. In the 12 months prior to the survey, 43 percent of them used physical calendars and 30 percent of them used planners for scheduling and staying organized.

The company says its survey covers more than just Millennials; its statistical findings span a range of demographics and market verticals. Generational findings all point toward the power of print, with only one-in-five Americans, as a whole, reporting that they rely solely on digital platforms.