Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Pew Research Center Tracks "Net Evaders" and "Net Dropouts"

A new report from the Pew Research Center finds that 42% of Americans say they don't use the Internet, with many of them either have been Internet users at one time or have a once-removed relationship with the Internet through family or household members. The Pew Internet Project tracking data shows a flattening of the overall growth of the Internet population since late 2001. The Internet penetration rate hovers at between 57% to 61% of the population. The report also identifies a trend of people dropping offline -- "Net Dropouts" -- and a certain population of "Net Evaders," who proudly reject the Internet and proclaim their independence from the online world. Most of the non-users are in "close proximity" to the Internet, meaning that they have occasional access through a school, library, or family member. The Pew report also tracks the digital divide in terms of race, age, income, educational level and region of the country. The report is online (50 pages).
http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=88