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Daily Internet
Activities |
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According to our May-June 2004 survey, 53% of
American adult internet users, about 68 million people, use the internet on
an average day. Here are some of the things they do on a
typical day: |
Percent
of internet
users who report doing this “yesterday” |
Most
recent survey
date |
|
Go online |
53 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Send e-mail |
45 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Use a search engine to find information |
30 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Get news |
27 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Surf the Web for fun |
23 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Look for info on a hobby or interest |
21 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Do an Internet search to answer a specific
question |
21 |
Nov-Dec
2003 |
|
Check the weather |
20 |
June
2003 |
|
Do an Internet search to answer a specific
question |
19 |
September
2002 |
|
Do any type of research for your job |
19 |
February
2004 |
|
Research a product or service before buying it |
15 |
February
2004 |
|
Look for political news/info |
13 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Send an instant message |
12 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Get financial info |
12 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Check sports scores and info |
11 |
February
2004 |
|
Watch a video clip or listen to an audio
clip |
11 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Research for school or training |
11 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Look for info from a government website |
9 |
June
2003 |
|
Play a game |
9 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Bank online |
9 |
June
2003 |
|
Get travel info |
8 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Look up phone number or address |
7 |
February
2004 |
|
Search for a map or driving directions |
7 |
February
2004 |
|
Log onto the Internet using a wireless device |
6 |
February
2004 |
|
Look for health/medical info |
6 |
December
2002 |
|
Take part in an online group |
6 |
October
2002 |
|
Listen to music online at a website |
6 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Download other files such as games, videos, or
pictures |
6 |
June
2003 |
|
Create content for the Internet |
4 |
October
2002 |
|
Look for religious/spiritual info |
4 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Chat in a chat room or in an online discussion |
4 |
June-July
2002 |
|
Look for info about a job |
4 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Go to a website that provides info or support
for a specific medical condition or personal situation |
4 |
December
2002 |
|
Look for info about a place to live |
3 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Buy or make a reservation for travel |
3 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Participate in an online auction |
3 |
|
|
Read someone else’s web log or “blog” |
3 |
February
2004 |
|
Buy a product |
3 |
February
2004 |
|
Search for info about someone you know or might
meet |
3 |
September
2002 |
|
Look for weight loss or general fitness info |
3 |
January
2002 |
|
Share files from own computer w/ others |
2 |
February
2004 |
|
Download video files to your computer |
2 |
February
2004 |
|
Download music files to your computer |
2 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Go to a dating website or other sites where you
can meet other people online |
2 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Visit an adult website |
1 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Buy groceries online |
1 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Create a web log or “blog” |
1 |
February
2004 |
|
Buy or sell stocks, bonds, or mutual funds |
1 |
February
2004 |
|
Look for info about a mental health issue |
1 |
June-July
2002 |
|
Play lottery or gamble online |
1 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Use Internet to get photos developed/display
photos |
1 |
August-October
2001 |
|
Check e-mail on a hand-held computer |
1 |
August-October
2001 |
|
Research your family’s history or
genealogy |
1 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Take a class online for college credit |
* |
June
2003 |
|
Take any other class online |
* |
June
2003 |
|
Make a phone call online |
* |
June
2003 |
|
Make a donation to a charity online |
* |
December
2002 |
|
Look for info about domestic violence |
* |
December
2002 |
|
Look for info on something sensitive or
embarrassing |
* |
June-July
2002 |
|
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
Tracking surveys (March 2000 – June 2004). Please note that the wording for
some items has been abbreviated. For full question wording, please refer to
the questionnaire. | ||