The table below compares the demographic characteristics of the two-thirds of online users who have bought a product online such as books, music, toys, or clothing to online Americans who have not made a product purchase on the internet.

Some expected demographic factors account for some of the differences between online shoppers and other internet users. Online purchasers tend to be younger, better educated, and higher-income than those who have not bought a product over the internet. Technology may also play a role, as online buyers are more likely than non-buyers to have “always on” high-speed connections at home.

Nonetheless, several hypotheses about online shopping do not hold up. For instance, some have wondered whether rural internet users would be heavier participants in e-shopping because of the convenience of doing things online rather than driving relatively long distances. Our data do not bear that out, as 65% of rural internet users have at one time bought something online, about the average. Rural internet users are less likely, on the typical day, to do any of the online shopping activities listed earlier; 19% do one of those activities on the typical day compared to the 26% average for all online users.

It is also worth noting that internet users who have not bought a product online are hardly, as a group, suffering from an impoverishment of connectivity. More than half of non-purchasers have broadband at home. Readers interested in demographic detail on a range of online shopping activities should consult the table in the Appendix to this report.

The table suggests that demography and technology are not the entire story behind people’s predilections to purchase products online. Even though online Americans who do not shop online have lower incomes and are less likely to have broadband at home, the majority of low-income Americans have bought something online. Some 58% of people whose annual household incomes are below $25,000 have at one time bought something using the internet. Something else might explain differences between purchases and non-purchasers. Our findings suggest that attitudes play a critical role in shaping people’s tendencies to shop online.