Daily Internet Activities

 

According to our May 2008 survey, 70% of American adult internet users 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

 

Use the internet

 

 

70

May 2008

 

Send or read e-mail

 

 

60

December 2007

 

Use a search engine to find information

 

 

49

 

May 2008

 

Get news

 

 

39

 

May 2008

 

Check the weather

 

 

30

 

May 2008

 

Look for info on a hobby or interest

 

 

29

 

February-March 2007

 

Surf the Web for fun

 

 

28

 

February-April 2006

 

Do any type of research for your job

 

23

February-March 2007

 

Look online for news or information about politics or the upcoming campaigns*

 

 

23

 

May 2008

 

Do any banking online

 

 

21

 

September 2007

 

Look for information online about a service or product you are thinking of buying

 

 

20

 

September 2007

 

Research for school or training

 

 

16

 

January 2005

 

Watch a video on a video-sharing site like YouTube or Google Video

 

16

May 2008

 

Get sports scores and info online*

 

 

15

 

August 2006

 

Log on to the internet using a wireless device

 

 

15

 

February-April 2006

 

Use an online social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn.com*

 

 

13

 

May 2008

 

Send instant messages

 

 

13

 

May 2008

 

Visit a local, state or federal government website*

 

 

13

 

May 2008

 

Read someone else’s online journal or blog*

 

 

11

 

May 2008

 

Send or receive text messages using a cell phone

 

 

11

 

September 2005

 

Look for health/medical info

 

10

December 2007

 

Get financial info online, such as stock quotes or mortgage interest rates

 

10

September 2007

 

Search for a map or driving directions

 

 

10

 

December 2006

 

Watch a video clip or listen to an audio clip 

 

 

10

 

November 2004

 

Play online games*

 

 

9

 

August 2006

Look for information on Wikipedia

8

February-March 2007

 

Get travel info

 

 

8

 

May-June 2004

 

Download music files to your computer

 

 

7

 

December 2007

 

Categorize or tag online content like a photo, news story or blog post

 

7

December 2006

 

Pay bills online

 

 

7

 

January 2005

 

Look up phone number or address

 

 

7

 

February 2004

 

Buy a product

 

 

7

 

December 2007

 

Pay to access or download digital content online*

 

 

6

 

December 2007

 

Use online classified ads or sites like Craig’s list

 

 

6

 

September 2007

 

Look for religious/spiritual info

 

 

6

 

February-March 2007

 

Listen to music online at a website

 

 

6

 

May-June 2004

 

Download other files such as games, videos, or pictures

 

 

6

 

June 2003

 

Look online for info about a job*

 

 

6

 

May 2008

 

Create or work on your own online journal or blog*

 

 

5

 

May 2008

 

Download video files to your computer

 

 

5

 

December 2007

 

Look for info about a place to live*

 

 

5

 

August 2006

 

Upload photos to a website so you can share them with others online

 

 

5

 

August 2006

 

Chat in a chat room or in an online discussion

 

 

5

 

September 2005

 

Search for info about someone you know or might meet

 

 

5

 

September 2005

 

Look for "how-to," "do-it-yourself" or repair information

 

 

5

 

February-March 2005

 

Go to a website that provides info or support for a specific medical condition or personal situation

 

 

5

 

November 2004

 

Share files from own computer w/ others

 

 

5

 

January 2005

 

Buy or make a reservation for travel 

 

 

4

 

September 2007

 

Rate a product, service or person using an online rating system

 

 

4

 

September 2007

 

Take a virtual tour of a location online

 

 

4

 

August 2006

 

Get info online about a college, university or other school you or a family member might attend

 

4

January 2005

 

Listen to a live or recorded radio broadcast online, such as a newscast, sporting event, or radio show

 

 

4

 

May-June 2004

 

Create content for the internet

 

 

4

 

November 2004

 

Download a podcast so you can listen to it or view it later*

 

 

3

 

May 2008

Download or share files using peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, such as BitTorrent or LimeWire

3

May 2008

Post a comment or review online about a product you bought or a service you received

3

September 2007

Participate in an online discussion, a listserv, or other online group forum that helps people with personal issues or health problems*

3

August 2006

 

Take material you find online—like songs, text or images—and remix it into your own artistic creation

 

3

February-March 2007

 

Participate in an online auction                        

 

 

3


September 2007