The YouGov online survey and focus group research, commissioned by Vogue for its Business Report 2011, opens a window on how, in a market where digital products are beginning to reach maturity, glossy magazine readers are using both print and online titles distinctly.
The study said the number of women using magazine websites had risen 40% in the past two years and the number of readers of high-end glossies had risen 43%.
However, readers saw print and digital versions as distinct entities offering different experiences, as 82% of the total sample believed websites would not entirely replace print.
Just 6% of respondents now only read the printed version of a magazine, while 75% of print readers said they also accessed their brands on other platforms.
Digital platforms have become an accepted way to access magazine brands, with 39% of glossy readers accessing digital magazine versions regularly, and 22% now accessing content via apps, the Vogue study suggested.
The study found that 77% of glossy magazine readers now use magazine websites at least once a month, with more than 29% using these sites at least once a week.
The survey also identified a hardcore readership for these titles, with 7% of readers looking at glossy magazine websites every day and 17% reading print magazines, online, via apps and consuming digital editions.
Stephen Quinn, publishing director of Vogue, said: "Where once it were imagined that digital might kill print, it has instead heightened the level of engagement the reader has with her magazine of choice."
The study suggested that readers of glossy magazines were at the cutting edge of technology, as they were three times more likely to purchase digital devices new to market and a third more likely than other respondents to buy digital products soon after they were launched.
Those responding to the survey also seemed to be more integrated into social media, 91% were registered with at least one social networking site, with 83% having a Facebook account – higher than the national average for adults of 77%.
The Vogue report also claimed to have identified three distinct readership groups from the research, which will no doubt be of interest to clients wishing to advertise across titles in the sector.
The report branded that hardcore, keen to adopt new technology quickly, as "fashion first" readers, identifying them as group of under 35s who were leading the charge to access magazine brands across all platforms available to them.
Readers who believed digital was the future of magazine brands, the report dubbed "fast functional" consumers, who believed content was more critical than platform.
In addition, a group of traditional readers retained a strong affinity to print, despite their digital use being on the increase.
YouGov conducted the survey in May and early June, polling 2,447 women aged 20 to 54, who regularly read at least one of Vogue, Elle, Tatler, Harpers, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, In Style and Grazia.
This information on readers' habits comes after financial results released earlier this month detailed how Vogue publisher Condé Nast's digital business, CondeNet UK, edged closer to profitability in 2010, reducing its losses to £180,528.
The digital arm of the upscale publisher, which oversees websites for Vogue, Glamour, GQ and Tatler in the UK, alongside a series of smartphone and iPad apps, generated revenue of £6.18m last year – up from £4.97m in the previous 12 months.
In the same period, the main print publishing business also recorded an impressive bounce back from the recession, with pre-tax profits almost tripling year on year to £15.14m.
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