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Project Eagle Research Capsule (PERC) #22
May 2006
How the Internet Is and Is Not Being Used:
Highlights from Four Recent Surveys and Reports
Deborah Fallows
Pew Internet & American Life Project
December 2005
A review of Pew Internet & American Life surveys between March 2000 and September 2005 yielded some interesting trends and
correlations about those who go online.
- 67% of the adult American population goes online, men and women almost equally.
- 86% of women 18-29 are online, compared with 80% of men that age.
Conversely, 34% of men 65 and older use the Internet, compared with 21% of
women that age.
- 60% of black women are Internet users compared with 50% of black men.
- 62% of unmarried men compared with 56% of unmarried women go online.
- 75% of married women and 72% of married men go online.
- Roughly 60% of men and women without children younger than 18 go online, compared to 80% of those with minor children.
- 61% of men and 57% of women go online daily, men more frequently in the same day.
- Almost 90% of men and women use the Internet at home; about two thirds use it at work.
- Men are greater users of the Internet to get information of all
kinds, do job-related research, download software, listen to music, or take a class.
- Women are greater users of the Internet to send and receive
email, get maps and directions, look for health or medical information or
support, or get religious information.
- Using the Internet to communicate: More than men, women are
enthusiastic online communicators who use email in a more robust way.
- Using the Internet for transactions: More men than women perform
online transactions, although both share an enthusiasm for the Internet as a tool
of commerce.
- Using the Internet to get information: Men pursue and consume
information more aggressively than women.
- Using the Internet for entertainment: Men use the Internet more
than women as a destination for recreation.
- Men are more interested in technology than women and are more tech savvy.
- Men value the Internet for the breadth of experience it offers.
Women value it for enriching their relationships, although they are concerned about the risks.
Certiport and the Education Development Center
December 2005
This survey of 444 teachers and instructors at the high school and post-secondary level is
part of a larger study designed to help educators better understand the
strengths of tech-savvy students and the implication of their presence in
education and the work force. "Power users" are "the savviest of the 'digital
natives,' 10-15 year old students who have grown up with digital technology as
a part of their everyday lives."
- 69% of respondents believe Power Users influence what is being taught in the classroom.
- 66% said Power Users influence teaching methods.
- Increasing numbers of classroom teachers are forming partnerships with these students,
turning to them for research and to help better integrate technology into their
lessons.
- 48% of respondents said Power Users exhibit helpful behavior.
- 55% said these students facilitate the learning of other students.
- Teachers pair these students with other, less technically advanced classmates, to
encourage them to share their knowledge with their peers.
- 84% of respondents believe Power Users have positively influenced their own
learning and technological knowledge.
- The majority of respondents indicate that Power Users prefer to use
troubleshooting, peer consulting, and online resources to learn.
- Most felt that these students select colleges and universities as the least likely
route to prepare for careers and jobs.
Susannah Fox and Mary Madden
Pew Internet & American Life Project
December 2005
The results in this report are based on data from telephone interviews of adults and teens between October 2004 and June 2005.
- Internet users of all ages (90%) under 70 are equally likely to use email.
- Only 26% of Americans 70-75 and 17% 76 or older go online at all.
- Teens and those 18-28 are much more likely than older
users to send and receive instant messages, play online games, create
blogs, download music and search for school information.
- Users 29-69 are more like to engage in getting health or
religious information, doing job research, using government sites, and performing
online activities that require some capital like travel reservations and
online banking.
- 50% of users 29-40 bank online, compared to 38% of
those 18-28.
- Buying a product is equally popular with all adult
users younger than 70.
- Overall, Internet use at all ages includes, starting
with the most popular: email, news, product research, online purchasing,
job hunting, photo services, rating a person or product, searching for a
person, and participating in an online auction.
Parks Associates
March 2006
A study by Parks Associates, a company specializing in research for consumer technology
marketing, has found few new households willing to subscribe to Internet
services. Their findings were the results of a survey of 1000 U.S. homes.
2006 growth in overall Internet penetration will be limited to
one percent, rising from 63% to 64% by the end of the year. Projections to 2009
increase it to only 67%.
2 million offline homes are planning to get Internet services in 2006.
300,000 homes said they might subscribe if prices were cheaper.
14 million homes have no Internet service, but access the Web at
work or elsewhere.
Of those not interested in subscribing to the Internet at any
price, 31% said access at work was sufficient. 18% said there was nothing of
interest to them on the Internet. 39% cited other unnamed reasons.*
* In a related article "Why the
Web Is Hitting a Wall" in Business Week Online, 3/20/06, non-Internet users cited various reasons: dislike of email; service too expensive
or not available; technology too complicated; lack of safety on the Internet;
or a disruption of a simpler way of life.
www.spcollege.edu/eagle/research/perc/perc22.htm
For a list of previous Project Eagle Research Capsules, go to www.spcollege.edu/eagle/research/perc/index.htm
For more information, contact the project manager: lechnerj@spcollege.edu
The contents of PERC were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
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