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Internet Activities |
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According to our May-June 2005 survey, 68% of
American adults use the internet. That
currently represents about 137 million people. Here are some of the things they do online: |
Percent
of internet users who report this activity |
Most
recent survey
date |
|
Send e-mail |
91 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Use a search engine to find information |
84 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Search for a map or driving directions |
84 |
February
2004 |
|
Do an internet search to answer a specific
question |
80 |
Nov-Dec
2003 |
|
Research a product or service before buying it |
78 |
February-March
2005 |
|
Check the weather |
78 |
November
2004 |
|
Look for info on a hobby or interest |
77 |
November
2004 |
|
Get travel info |
73 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Get news |
72 |
February-March
2005
|
|
Buy a product |
67 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Surf the Web for fun |
66 |
November 2004
|
|
Look for health/medical info |
66 |
December
2002 |
|
Buy or make a reservation for travel |
62 |
November
2004 |
|
Look for political news/info |
58 |
November
2004 |
|
Go to a website that provides info or support
for a specific medical condition or personal situation |
58 |
November
2004 |
|
Research for school or training |
57 |
January
2005 |
|
Watch a video clip or listen to an audio clip |
56 |
November
2004 |
|
Look for info from a government website |
54 |
November
2004 |
|
Look up phone number or address |
54 |
February
2004 |
|
Do any type of research for your job |
51 |
February-March
2005 |
|
Get info online about a college, university or
other school you or a family member might attend |
45 |
January
2005 |
|
Take a virtual tour of a location online |
45 |
November
2004 |
|
Look for info about a job |
44 |
January
2005 |
|
Get financial info |
44 |
November
2004 |
|
Check sports scores or info |
43 |
February
2004 |
|
Download other files such as games, videos, or
pictures |
42 |
June
2003 |
|
Bank online |
41 |
February-March
2005 |
|
Send instant messages |
40 |
February-March
2005 |
|
Download computer programs from the internet |
39 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Pay bills online |
38 |
January
2005 |
|
Play online games* |
36 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Listen to music online at a website |
34 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Look for info about a place to live |
34 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Look for religious/spiritual info |
30 |
November
2004 |
|
Listen to a live or recorded radio broadcast online,
such as a newscast, sporting event, or radio show |
29 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Share files from own computer w/ others |
27 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Search for info about someone you know or might
meet |
27 |
February-March
2005 |
|
Read someone else’s web log or “blog” |
27 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Rate a product, service or person using an
online rating system |
26 |
May-June
2004 |
|
Download music files to your computer |
25 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Log on to the internet using a wireless device |
25 |
November
2004 |
|
Participate in an online auction |
24 |
February-March
2005 |
|
Research your family’s history or genealogy |
24 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Look for weight loss or general fitness info |
24 |
January
2002 |
|
Download screensavers from the internet |
23 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Look for info about a mental health issue |
23 |
June-July
2002 |
|
Download computer games from the internet |
21 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Use internet to get photos developed/display
photos |
21 |
August-October
2001 |
|
Create content for the internet |
19 |
November
2004 |
|
Download video files to your computer |
18 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Take material you find online—like songs, text
or images—and remix it into your own artistic creation |
18 |
January
2005 |
|
Look for info on something sensitive or
embarrassing |
18 |
June-July
2002 |
|
Chat in a chat room or in an online discussion |
17 |
February-March
2005 |
|
Visit an adult website |
13 |
May-June
2005 |
|
Take a class online just for personal enjoyment
or enrichment* |
13 |
January
2005 |
|
Buy or sell stocks, bonds, or mutual funds |
13 |
November
2004 |
|
Send or receive an invitation to a meeting or
party using an online invitation service |
12 |
November
2004 |
|
Buy groceries online |
12 |
March-May
2003 |
|
Take a class online for credit toward a degree
of some kind* |
12 |
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