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A Nation Online: Summary Source: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/ A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet provides an insightful look at how Americans are increasing their connectivity to information technologies. We are fortunate to be able to base our findings on the September 2001 U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey a survey of approximately 57,000 households and more than 137,000 individuals across the United States. As such, the data in this study are among the most broad-based and reliable datasets that have been gathered on Internet, broadband, and computer connectivity.
The rate of growth of Internet use in the United States is currently two million new Internet users per month.
More than half of the nation is now online. In September 2001, 143 million Americans (about 54 percent of the population) were using the Internet — an increase of 26 million in 13 months. In September 2001, 174 million people (or 66 percent of the population) in the United States used computers. Children and teenagers use computers and the Internet more than any other age group.
Family households with children under the age of 18 are more likely to access the Internet (62 percent) than family households with no children (53 percent), and non-family households (35 percent).
Computers at schools substantially narrow the gap in computer usage rates for children from high and low income families Internet use is increasing for people regardless of income, education, age, races, ethnicity, or gender.
Between December 1998 and September 2001, Internet use by individuals in the lowest-income households (those earning less than $15,000 per year) increased at a 25 percent annual growth rate. Internet use among individuals in the highest-income households (those earning $75,000 per year or more) increased from a higher base but at a much slower 11 percent annual growth rate.
Between August 2000 and September 2001, Internet use among Blacks and Hispanics increased at annual rates of 33 and 30 percent, respectively. Whites and Asian American and Pacific Islanders experienced annual growth rates of approximately 20 percent during these same periods.
Over the 1998 to 2001 period, growth in Internet use among people living in rural households has been at an average annual rate of 24 percent, and the percentage of Internet users in rural areas (53 percent) is now almost even with the national average (54 percent).
The highest growth rate among different types of households is for single mothers with children (29 percent).
People with mental or physical disabilities (such as blindness, deafness, or difficulty walking, typing, or leaving home) are less likely than those without such disabilities to use computers or the Internet. While 80 percent of Americans access the Internet through dial-up service, residential use of broadband service is rapidly expanding.
Between August 2000 and September 2001, residential use of high-speed, broadband service doubled—from about 5 to 11 percent of all individuals, and from 11 to 20 percent of Internet users. Americans are going online to conduct an expanding range of activities.
Forty-five percent of the population now uses e-mail, up from 35 percent in 2000. Approximately one-third of Americans use the Internet to search for product and service information (36 percent, up from 26 percent in 2000).
Among Internet users, 39 percent of individuals are making online purchases and 35 percent of individuals are searching for health information. Use of the Internet and computers at work has contributed to higher use levels at home.
The presence of someone who uses a computer or the Internet at work in a household is associated with substantially higher computer ownership or Internet use for that household, by a margin of about 77 percent to 35 percent. With more than half of all Americans using computers and the Internet, we are truly a nation online. At work, schools, and libraries, as well as at home, the Internet is being used by a greater number of Americans. Based on the aforementioned survey:
60.2 million U.S. homes (or 56.5 percent) had a personal computer
Seven of every eight households with computers (88.1 percent) also subscribed to the Internet
As a result, more than half of U.S. households (53.9 million homes, or 50.5 percent) had Internet connections As shown in Figure 1-1, this remarkable rise to over 50 percent household penetration of both computers and the Internet occurred very quickly.
Figure 1 -1: Percent of U.S. Households with a Computer and Internet
Connections, Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements
Figure 1-4: Different Perspectives on Internet Access and Use
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Table 1-1. Internet Use by Percent of State Population
Individuals continue to expand their use of computers and the Internet. As of September 2001, 174 million people or 65.6 percent of the U.S. population were computer users. and 2-2 and Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1: Internet Use From Any Location, Percent of Persons Age 3 +
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Family income remains an indicator of whether a person uses a computer or the Internet. Figure 2-2: Computer and Internet Use From Any Location by Family Income,
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Internet use is growing faster among people in lower family income brackets. Figure 2-3: Growth in Internet Use by Family Income, Percent of Persons
Age 3 + (Annual Rate) Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Computer and Internet use are strongly associated with the age of the individual. Figure 2-5: Computer and Internet Use at Any Location Age Distribution (3 year moving average), Percent of Persons Age 3 to 80
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements
Males and females have had approximately equal rates of computer use since 1997
Women, from approximately age 20 to age 50, are more likely to be Internet users than men. From about age 60 and older, men have higher rates of Internet use than women. People who live in households headed by married couples (where children under the age of 18 are present) are more likely than people who live in other household types to be both computer and Internet users. Figure 2-8: Computer and Internet Use Anywhere by Type of Household, Persons Age 3 +
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Educational attainment also factors into computer and Internet use. The higher a person's level of education, the more likely he or she will be a computer or Internet user. Figure 2-9: Internet Use Anywhere by Educational Attainment, Percent of Persons Age 25 +
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Table 2-2: Internet Use From Any Location by Individuals Age 3 and Older,
Online Activities
The predominant use continued to be e-mail or instant messaging.
In September 2001, nearly half of the population used e-mail (45.2 percent, up from 35.4 percent in 2000).
Searching for information also ranked high: approximately one-third of Americans used the Internet to search for product and service information (36.2 percent, up from 26.1 percent in 2000), and to search for news, weather, and sports information (33.3 percent, up from 19.2 percent in 2000). Figure 3-1: Online Activities, 2000 and 2001 Internet users are expanding how and where they go online. Faster connection speeds through digital subscriber lines (DSL) and cable are now available to more users as these technologies continue to expand their geographical reach. New devices offer the opportunity for access without a computer and increased mobility of use. Most striking, however, is the growth in the number of people who use the Internet from more than one location. Connection Types: The Expansion of Broadband Most individuals who use the Internet at home make that connection via a regular 'dial up' telephone line (80.0 percent), with cable modems being the second most common way to connect (12.9 percent), followed by DSL (6.6 percent). Figure 4-1: Home Internet Connection Type, 2001 Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Generally referred to as 'broadband,' cable modems and DSL allow for higher speed access than is available through dial-up. [2]The use of these services in residential settings has rapidly increased over the past year. In August 2000, only 5.0 percent of all individuals or 11.2 percent of home Internet users claimed to have something faster than a dial-up service in their homes. Figure 4-2: Higher-Speed Internet Connection by Geographic Area
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements Figure 4-5: Internet Use by Specific Location Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements How Young People have embraced computers and the Internet:
Family households with children under age 18 are far more likely to have computers than families without children: 70.1 percent, compared to 58.8 percent. They are also more likely to have Internet subscriptions: 62.2 percent versus 53.2 percent.
With regard to computer use, 89.5 percent of all school-aged children (between the ages of 5-17) use computers. Within the same age range, 58.5 percent use the Internet. Internet use is particularly high for teens and pre-teens. [3] More than three-quarters (75.6 percent) of 14-17 year olds and 65.4 percent of 10-13 year olds use the Internet at some location, up from 51.2 and 39.2 percent in 1998 (Figure 5-2).
Among 18-24 year olds, Internet use is heavily affected by whether or not they attend school or college. Among those in school or college, 85.0 percent use the Internet, compared to 51.5 percent of those who are not in school. Figure 5-2: Internet Use at Any Location, 1998 and 2001 Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements The Impact of Schools on Internet and Computer Use
Almost every young adult (95.9 percent) between ages 18 and 24, who attends school or college, uses a computer: 86.1 percent in school (20.8 percent only at school and 65.3 percent both at home and school), and 74.5 percent at home (9.2 percent only at home and 66.3 percent both at home and school).
Children and young adults also use the Internet for communication and entertainment. E-mail is a close second to schoolwork among teenagers and young adults. A very high percentage of all teenagers (62.1 percent) and young adults in school (75.0 percent) use e-mail, compared to 45.2 percent of the overall U.S. population. These two age groups also go online in higher percentages than other age groups to engage in chat rooms and to listen to the radio or watch TV or movies. The Digital Workplace: The workplace provides an important venue for many adults to use computers and the Internet. As of September 2001, about 65 million of the 115 million adults who were employed and age 25 and over use a computer at work. About 48 million of these adults (the vast majority of the 53 million in this group who use the Internet outside the home) connect to the Internet and/or use e-mail at work. Disabilities: People with Disabilities The September 2001 supplement marks the first time that questions about specific types of disability have been included in the set of computer and Internet use questions on the Current Population Survey (CPS). These questions do not attempt to quantify the number or the proportion of people in the population who have a disability. Rather, these questions were posed in order to examine how specific types of disabilities impact computer and Internet use. The questions, as asked, are shown in Box 7-1. They cover long-lasting severe vision, hearing, mobility, and manual dexterity problems, as well as a question concerning any physical or mental condition that makes it difficult to leave the house. Box 7-1: CPS Supplement Questions Concerning Specific Types of Disabilities Do you have any of the following long-lasting physical conditions: (Asked of everyone in the household age 3 and above)
A) Blindness or a severe vision impairment even with glasses or contact lenses?
B) Deafness or a severe hearing impairment even with a hearing aid?
C) A physical condition that substantially limits your ability to walk or climb stairs?
D) A condition that makes it difficult to type on an ordinary typewriter or traditional
computer keyboard? Do you have difficulty going outside the home alone, for example, to shop or visit a doctor's office, because of a physical or mental health condition lasting six months or longer? (Asked of everyone in the household age 15 and above)
Table 7-1: Age Distribution of Specific Disabilities as a Percent of Population, 2001
Source: NTIA and ESA, U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey SupplementsTable 7-5: Computer and Internet Use at Work Among Employed 25 to 60
Year-Olds
The Unconnected: A number of groups are more likely not to be Internet users. These non-users include:
People in households with low family incomes — 75.0 percent of people who live in households where income is less than $15,000 and 66.6 percent of those in households with incomes between $15,000 and $35,000.
Adults with low levels of overall education—60.2 percent of adults (age 25 +) with only a high school degree and 87.2 percent of adults with less than a high school education.
Hispanics—68.4 percent of all Hispanics and 85.9 percent of Hispanic households where Spanish is the only language spoken.
Blacks—60.2 percent of Blacks.
The September 2001 survey asked households without Internet subscriptions the question, What is the main reason that you don't have the Internet at home?' Survey results indicated that the largest specific response was that the cost was too expensive This response was volunteered by one-fourth of these households, but much more often by lower income households than by higher income households.
Those households that have discontinued Internet access numbered 3.6 million, or 3.3 percent, of all U.S. households as of September 2001. Among this group of unconnected persons, cost was the most frequently cited reason for disconnecting.
As the technology saturates the market, the adoption rate slows, since most people who want the technology already have it. (This is very important when comparing percentages and numbers of those connecting. We must take into account those already connected.) Conclusion The Internet has become a tool that is accessible to and adopted by Americans in communities across the nation. Approximately two million more people become Internet users every month, and over half of the population is now online. Those who have been the least traditional users people of lower income levels, lower education levels, or the elderly are among the fastest adopters of this new technology. As a result, we are more and more becoming a nation online: a nation that can take advantage of the information resources provided by the Internet, as well as a nation developing the technical skills to compete in our global economy. The expanding use of the Internet at schools, work, and libraries has played a significant role in this development. Young people are now active users of this technology. This report has demonstrated that the presence of computers and Internet access at schools is making these resources available to children who lack them at home. This means that our children will gain the skills and familiarity with new technologies that will allow them to find jobs in our new economy. In addition, many more Americans than in years past are using computers and the Internet at work. Certain jobs that previously involved only manual labor, for example, now involve some use of information technologies. Proficiency with these technologies has become increasingly important, and adults are gaining such proficiency as more use information technologies at work and find new opportunities for using them at home. Our nation has passed a significant milestone now that the majority of Americans use computers and the Internet for their daily activities. This trend is enriching our world, facilitating our work lives, and providing a skill set needed for a growing economy. Households with at least one computer plus Internet connectivity total 53.0 million. A number of households also have more than one Internet access device. See Chapter 4 for a more detailed discussion. This study asked respondents about the two most common broadband technologies available in the United States, digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modems plus any 'other' higher-speed Internet access used at home. These technologies usually feature broadband capabilities, although some applications or connections may possess speeds lower than the 200 kilobits per second—either in both directions or only upstream— that the Federal Communications Commission defines as 'full broadband.' See In the Matter of Local Competition and Broadband Reporting, Report and Order, CC Docket No.99-301 (rel. March 30, 2000) at ¶ 22. Figure 5-2 compares the September 2001 survey results to December 1998 Census survey data, which provided a more complete data set on student use than the August 2000 survey taken during the summer vacation. In contrast, only about 4 million of the 62 million adults who are age 25 and over and not employed used the Internet outside the home. The previous report, Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion, published in October 2000, did include a section on 'Internet Access and Computer Use Among People with Disabilities.' The data for that section, however, came from another survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which, in the fall of 1999 asked different questions to identify persons with disabilities from those used in the September 2001 CPS supplement. The CPS does allow respondents to choose 'disability' as a reason for not being in the work force. However, as this section shows, most people with a disability do not fall into this category. The September supplement to the CPS through 2005 is scheduled to include questions on both computer/Internet use and on disability. Thus, future reports should be able to document changes in computer and Internet use among people with disabilities. Tables 8-2a and 8-2b provide summary data by demographic category for those responding households that have never been connected to the Internet and those that have disconnected, respectively. Approximately one-half of the households who had never subscribed to the Internet at home responded with the ambiguous catchall 'don't want it.' That response could come from people who have not connected for a combination of specific reasons in addition to those persons who can see no use for it under any conditions, including zero cost. This pattern is characterized by an 'S' curve. For a more detailed discussion, see U.S. Department of Commerce, Falling Through The Net: Toward Digital Inclusion pp. 2-4. |
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