We all know that we spend a lot of time online – and many of us feel that we spend too much time online. But it may be surprising just how much time we actually spend on the Internet. New research reveals that 20% of Americans say they are online “almost constantly.” Moreover, 21% of Americans reveal that they are online “incessantly.”
Pew Research conducted the recent survey about Internet use, and according to one of the research assistants, Andrew Perrin, it was the first survey in which the words “almost constantly” were an option.
The survey was conducted between June and July of this year and was rather straightforward, asking adults how much they are online. The results are as follows:
- 13% said they never go online.
- 13% said they go online “several times a week” or less.
- 10% said they only go online about once daily.
- 42% said they are online “several times a day.”
- 21% gave the “almost constantly” response.
There appeared to be no significant difference in constant use of the Internet when it came to gender. But, age resulted in the major differences. For those who responded that they are online almost constantly, the numbers broke down as follows:
- Over age 65: 6%
- 50- to 64-year olds: 12%
- 30- to 49- year olds: 28%
- 18-to 29-year olds: 36%
Although it would seem that teenagers are online even more than their adult counterparts, that is not necessarily the case. Another Pew research survey found the following results: While 24% of teenagers responded that they are online “almost constantly,” that is significantly less than the 36% of 18- to 29-year olds in the same category.
The discrepancy may be due to the fact that 18- to 29-year olds generally have unrestricted mobile phone access. It may also be due to the fact that older folks generally have more money than teenagers. And, this is supported by the data. Of those individuals who earn $70,000 or more annually, 28% report being online almost constantly. In contrast, only 16% of those who earn $30,000 or less per year report the same amount of Internet usage.
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