Growth in US internet usage has slowed in recent years but demand for high-speed services remains high, according to new statistics from Harris Interactive.
An end of year survey shows that 69% of Americans can now be classified as internet users, an increase of two percentage points over last year. The number of adults online has grown significantly since the end of 1999 when 56% accessed the web but has been levelling out since mid-2001.
In the latest study, more than six in ten of respondents said they went online at home while almost a third admitted to using the web in the workplace. US adults now spend an average of nine hours a week online.
| Internet Users In The US, By Access Location |
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| Date |
All Online |
Online At Home |
Online At Work |
Online At Other Location |
Ave. Hours Online Per Week |
| Dec-99 |
56% |
46% |
N/A |
N/A |
7 |
| Apr/May-00 |
57% |
45% |
24% |
15% |
7 |
| Oct/Nov-00 |
63% |
49% |
29% |
17% |
7 |
| Mar/Apr-01 |
64% |
53% |
27% |
20% |
7 |
| Sep/Oct-01 |
64% |
52% |
28% |
19% |
7 |
| Feb/Mar-02 |
66% |
55% |
30% |
19% |
8 |
| Nov/Dec-02 |
67% |
57% |
28% |
18% |
7 |
| Oct/Dec-03 |
69% |
61% |
31% |
16% |
9 |
| Source: Harris Interactive, January 2004 |
The increasing availability and desirability of broadband is reflected in the fact that 37% of online adults now have a high-speed connection. This compares with 22% in March 2002 and 27% at the end of 2002.
A recent study of the US internet market by Nielsen found that broadband connections had increased by 27% between May and November while narrowband connections were unchanged (see US Broadband Population Approaches 50 Million).
