It looks like Santa’s elves were busy making tablets over the holidays, because a new study reveals that the number of adult tablet owners has nearly doubled over the past month.

The Pew Research study shows a jump from 10 to 19 percent in adult U.S. tablet ownership between mid-December and early January, with the same percentage of growth for e-book readers during the same time period.

This further emphasizes that 2012 could be the year of mobile, and tablets could be a driving force behind the mobile move.

Who Owns Tablets?

According to the study, men and women are equally as likely to own a tablet, however, college graduates are more than twice as likely to own a tablet compared to those with just a high school degree.

Most tablet users are also under the age of 50, with 24 percent of owners ranging between the ages of 18 - 29, and 27 percent ranging between the ages of 30 and 49.

Furthermore, 36 percent of tablet owners come from a household income that exceeds $75,000, compared to 20 percent of those that come from a household income between $50,000 - $75,000, and only 24 percent of tablet owners come from household incomes that make less than $50,000.

Who Owns E-Readers?

The study also reveals that 21 percent of women own an e-reader compared to 16 percent of men. Additionally, college graduates (30%) are the most likely to own an e-reader, followed by those with some college (19%), a high school degree (14%) and those with some high school (6%) education. 

Other statistics show that most e-reader owners are under the age of 65, with the majority (24%) ranging between the ages of 30 - 49. And, just like tablets, those with a household income greater than $75,000 are the most likely to own an e-reader at 31 percent, which is more than three times the amount of e-reader owners that have a household income less than $30,000.