U.S. Internet Users Spending an Average of 13 Hours a Week Online
By Anna Johnson on January 5th, 2010A recent poll by Harris Interactive indicates that adult Internet users in the United States now spend an average of 13 hours per week online.
While around 20 percent of adult Internet users are online for only two hours or less a week, about 14 percent spend 24 or more hours a week online.
Based on a telephone poll of 2,029 adults conducted between July 7-12 and October 13-18, 2009 Harris found that the total number of adults online is now 184 million (80 percent of the U.S. population). While this has not changed significantly since 2008 and 2007, the number of home users has risen significantly over the last few years.
With 76 percent of Americans now accessing the Internet from home, home usage is up from the 75 percent figure in 2008, and up from 70 percent in 2006, and 66 percent in 2005.
Over the years, the average number of hours spent online has also increased: from 7 hours in 1999-2002, to between 8 and 9 hours in 2003-6, to 11 hours in 2007, 14 hours last year, and 13 hours in 2009.
The age groups spending the most time online are the 30-39 year old (18 hours per week), 25-29 year old (17 hours) and 40-49 year old (17 hours) categories.
According to Harris Interactive, the rise in number of hours spent online is probably due to the growing number of activities people can undertake on the Internet, such as visiting more websites, using more applications, watching television and video, and buying more products and services. The recession has probably helped too, since the Internet can provide many cheaper forms of entertainment than going out.
