US-based Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) recently completed the first phase of a multi-year research project to understand how iPad users consume news content.

The study, based on responses from more than 1,600 iPad users, found that 10% had already cancelled their subscriptions to printed newspapers, with the trend expected to continue.

“Among the 931 respondents who indicated that they currently subscribe to print newspapers, there is a statistically significant, moderately strong, positive correlation between iPad news consumption and the likelihood of cancelling their print subscriptions,” the RJI report said.

“For example, more than half (58.1%) of the respondents who subscribe to printed newspapers and use their iPad at least an hour a day for news said they are very likely to cancel their print subscriptions within the next six months.”

The study found that the most common use for the device (84.4% of respondents) was to follow breaking news reports and current events, while leisure reading of books, newspapers and magazines was close behind with 81.5% of respondents using it for this purpose.

Some 62.7% of respondents said that they spent more than an hour during a typical day with their iPad, with 28.3% saying they used their iPad more than two hours a day.

The average iPad user was also found to be male, between the ages of 35 and 64, and holding a Bachelor’s degree.

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