Fifteen percent American adults do not use the Internet or email, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project.

And they’re not about to try it, the research shows.

“A lot of people are surprised to discover that not everyone is online,” says Kathryn Zickuhr, research associate for the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project and author of the report.

Asked why they do not use the Internet:

• 34 percent of non-Internet users think the Internet is just not relevant to them, saying they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.

• 32 percent of non-Internet users cite reasons tied to their sense that the Internet is not very easy to use. These non-users say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are physically unable, or they are worried about other issues such as spam, spyware, and hackers. This figure is considerably higher than in earlier surveys.

• 19 percent of non-Internet users cite the expense of owning a computer or paying for an Internet connection.

• Just 7 percent of non-users cited a physical lack of availability or access to the Internet.

As in previous surveys, Internet use remains strongly correlated with age, educational attainment, and household income, the Pew report says.

One of the strongest patterns in the data on Internet use is by age group: 44 percent of Americans ages 65 and older do not use the Internet, and these older Americans make up almost half (49 percent) of non-Internet users overall.

Yet while they themselves do not go online, these self-described non-Internet users often report that the Internet often touches their lives in different ways:

• 44 percent of offline adults have asked a friend or family member to look something up or complete a task on the Internet for them.

• 23 percent of offline adults live in a household where someone else uses the Internet at home, a proportion that has remained relatively steady for over a decade.

• 14 percent of offline adults say that they once used to use the Internet, but have since stopped for some reason.

Overall, most adults who do not use the Internet or email do not express a strong desire to go online in the future: Just 8 percent of offline adults say they would like to start using the Internet or email, while 92 percent say they are not interested.

“Most offline adults either don’t see the Internet as relevant to them, or feel that it would not be worth the effort,” says Ms. Zickuhr. “And though many have had some experiences with the Internet in the past, most non-Internet users say they are not interested in going online in the future.”

Even among the 85 percent of adults who do go online, experiences connecting to the Internet may vary widely. For instance, even though 76 percent of adults use the Internet at home, another 9 percent of adults use the Internet but lack home access.

Groups that are significantly more likely to rely on Internet access outside the home include blacks (15 percent) and Hispanics (13 percent), as well as younger adults and those with lower levels of income and education. These Internet users cite many reasons for not having Internet connections at home, most often relating to issues of affordability — some 44 percent mention financial issues such as not having a computer, or having a cheaper option outside the home.

Finally, while most home Internet users have broadband in some form, 3 percent of all adults say they go online at home via dial-up connections.

“Some say they don’t have Internet access at home because they don’t particularly need it, but more say that cost is a big factor,” says Ms. Zickuhr. “As for where they do go online, it is likely that friends and family, workplaces, and community resources such as libraries may all play a role, as well as mobile devices.”

The Pew Research Center’s Internet Project recently found that one in ten adults own smartphones but lack broadband connections at home.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved