Nearly 50 million Americas don't use the internet

Poorer Americans are more likely not to use the internet

Rose Troup Buchanan
Wednesday 29 July 2015 11:57 BST
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A staggering number of Americans still don't use the internet, new research has found.

While the number of US citizens online has dramatically increased since 2000, the data shows that 15 per cent still do not use the internet - approximately 47 million people.

Research indicates that individuals who do not use the internet correlate to a number of variables – including age, ethnicity and household income.

Broadly, the poorer the household the less likely its occupants are to use the internet. Online usage in households earning less than $30,000 annually are approximately eight time less likely than adults from more affluent households to use the internet.

White and Asian Americans are the most likely groups to use the internet. In comparison, one-in-five black Americans and 18 per cent of Hispanics are not online.

Meanwhile, one in four of over 65 year olds (39 per cent) are not online - compared to just three per cent of 18-29 year olds.

While this number still appears high, Pew notes in its research that compared to 2000 when the proportion was 86 per cent, the number of elderly individuals online has doubled.

Finally, data from rural versus metropolitan usage shows that 24 per cent of individuals living rurally do not use the internet. Suburban and urban usage are level pegged at 13 per cent.

The data indicates that internet usage has increased. In 2000, when the first such research was carried out by Pew, just under half of all Americans (48 per cent) did not use the internet.

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