| US Computes in Record Numbers, Census Says | |
Dateline: 09/08/01
According to a report just released by the Census Bureau, 9-out-of-10 school-age children (6-to-17 years old) had access to a computer in 2000, with 4-out-of-5 using a computer at school and 2-out-of-3 using one at home.
Census Bureau analyst Eric Newburger author of Home Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000, says America has experienced more than a five-fold increase in the proportion of households with computers. "In addition," states Newburger, "Internet use is rapidly becoming synonymous with computer availability." In other words, most personal computers, whether in school, office or home are now connected to the Interent.
By August 2000, one or more computers had been installed in 51 percent of America's 54 million households, up from 42 percent in December 1998, according the the Census Bureau.
All those computers are not just sitting there feeling lonely for each other, either. As of August 2000, the census reports that in 4-out-of-5 households with computers -- 44 million households -- at least one member of the household accessed the Internet. In 1997, fewer than 22 million home computers were able to go online.
What do Americans do online?
According to the Census Bureau, of the total U.S. population (285,082,718),
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 quoted from the Census Bureau report
- 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. Says the Census Bureau.
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Computers and Internet Use in the United States: August 2000
View or print the entire report from the Census Bureau. This is a .pdf
file, requiring the free Adobe Acrobat .pdf file
viewer. Get it here.
