WATPA: FW: U.S. Census Bureau Report on Home Computers & Internet Use

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From: Norman J. Jacknis (norm@jacknis.com)
Date: Sat Sep 08 2001 - 21:44:32 EDT


An update of the earlier report.

Regards,
Norm

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9-in-10 School-Age Children Have Computer Access;
Internet Use Pervasive, Census Bureau Reports

A ratio of 9-in-10 school-age children (6-to-17 years old) had access to
a computer in 2000, with 4-in-5 using a computer at school and 2-in-3
with one at home, according to a report released today by the Commerce
Department's Census Bureau.

The report showed that 54 million households, or 51 percent, had one or
more computers in the home in August 2000, up from 42 percent in
December 1998.

"Since 1984, the country has experienced more than a five-fold increase
in the proportion of households with computers," said Census Bureau
analyst Eric Newburger, author of Home Computers and Internet Use in the
United States: August 2000. "In addition, Internet use is rapidly
becoming synonymous with computer availability."

In 2000, more than 4-in-5 households with computers had at least one
member using the Internet at home (44 million households). When the
Census Bureau first collected data on Internet use in 1997, fewer than
half of the households with computers had someone who was able to go
online.
                                
The report measured the influence of the Internet on how people access
and use information. Of the total U.S. population, about 1-in-3 adults
used e-mail from home in 2000, and nearly 1-in-4 used the Internet to
search for information about topics such as business, health or
government services. Nearly 1-in-5 used the Internet to check on news,
weather or sports. And 1-in-8 adults performed job-related tasks using
a home Internet connection.

Other highlights:

- Nearly 9-in-10 family households with annual incomes of $75,000 or
  more had at least one computer and about 8-in-10 had at least one
  household member who used the Internet at home.

- Among family households with incomes below $25,000, nearly 3-in-10
  had a computer and about 2-in-10 had Internet access.

- Two-thirds of households with a school-age child had a computer,
  and 53 percent had Internet access.

- E-mail is the most common Internet application at home, used by 88
  percent of adults and 73 percent of children who are online.

- Single-person households were the least likely to have a computer
  (30 percent) or Internet access (24 percent). In households with two
  to four persons, 58 percent had a computer and 47 percent had Internet
  access.

- Households in the West were the most likely to have computers
  (57 percent) and Internet access (47 percent). Those in the South
  were the least likely to have computers (47 percent) and Internet
  connections (38 percent).

- Ninety-four million people used the Internet at home in 2000, up
  from 57 million in 1998.

- Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of all children 3-to-17 years old lived
  in a household with a computer in 2000, up from 55 percent in 1998.
  About 3-in-10 children used the Internet at home, compared with about
  2-in-10 in 1998.

- Schools have "leveled the playing field" by giving computer access to
  children who do not have one at home. Computer use at school was more
  nearly equal across various income, race or ethnic groups than was
  access at home.

- About 77 percent of White non-Hispanic and 72 percent of Asian and
  Pacific Islander children lived in households with computers, while
  only 43 percent of African American children and 37 percent of
  Hispanic children did.

The report uses Current Population Survey (CPS) data obtained from about
50,000 U.S. households. The data should not be confused with results
from Census 2000, which did not include questions on computer access and
Internet use. Statistics from sample surveys, such as CPS, are subject
to sampling and nonsampling error.

www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-147.html.
The report is available online in PDF format
(http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/p23-207.pdf)


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