The primary reason, given by 72% of respondents, for not having internet access in households with incomes of less than $25,000 per year was that access is too expensive. Other reasons included already having access at work or school (12%), reluctance to monopolise phone line (10%), not wishing children to access the net (6%), and difficulty of use (4%).
By contrast, more affluent households (those with incomes greater than $75,000) cite access at home or school as the primary reason they do not have home access (47% of respondents). Other reasons within this earnings bracket include expense (21%), reluctance to monopolise phone line (12%), difficulty of use (11%), and lack of interest (11%).
“Historically, there has been a group of internet users in the United States that have chosen not to have Internet access at home. The Yankee Group anticipates that by 2005, there will be over 800,000 PC-owning households in the United States that still don’t have PC-based Internet access,” said Rob Lancaster of the Yankee Group.
