Internet in half of US households

Internet in half of US households

(And two million new users go online each month.)

BBC Online report. Thursday, 7 February, 2002, 01:04 GMT

More than half of America’s households are connected to the internet, according to a Department of Commerce report.

The study, A Nation Online, which uses census data to track internet usage, found that 143 million Americans, or 54% of the population, were using the internet as of last September, up 33% on three years ago.

US internet usage

45% of Americans use e-mail
36% search for product and service info
39% make online purchases
35% search for health information.

Two million people were going online for the first time every month, the report said. Among younger people, internet usage is even higher.

Nine out of 10 school-age children have access to computers either at home or at school, according to the 96-page report.