Except for accessibility issues, this could be something that is dependent on context. In which case it could be answered with a simple usability test.
Thinking back to how I operate personally, I often ‘save’ a page for later if I’m about to click on a link to another site by opening the new link in a new tab. Or sometimes I will ‘save’ a product’s page using the same method. But there are also websites that automatically open child pages in a new tab without my noticing, so that when I try to hit back I am frustrated (because I did not open it in a new tab myself, I did not realize it was in a new tab). Also, if a lot of sites operated this way I could quickly see my browser bar becoming cluttered with tabs.
BUT… I am not necessarily representative of most users, or whoever the target user for the site is.
