Internet now a tool of the masses

10/19/2000

the average Web user is more likely to be a suburban housewife

According to a new survey by the Yankee Group, 33 percent of online US households have had access for less than a year. Of these new home users, 60 percent are women, and many earn average or below-average incomes.

Lower costs for PCs and free Internet access are helping to narrow the digital divide in terms of income. The survey found that 47 percent of new Internet users had free Internet accounts.

For many US households, the Internet has become as much a part of daily life as television. Of those surveyed, 87 percent log on from home at least once a day.

According to the Yankee Group, the results of the survey show that the Internet is beginning to reach the mass consumer market in the US.

Other findings of the survey show that Internet surfing may be a thing of the past—only 3 percent of respondents always use random online sources, while over half use the same sources at home and at work

Email was the top online activity for 68 percent of those polled, with education and learning taking second place.

Source: NUA Internet Surveys

Date of Article: October 17, 2000

For more information on Internet marketing visit WebMetro: Online Marketing