Half of US Households Use PCs
PC use in American homes has surpassed the 50-percent mark, and 90 percent of PC users are now online, according to data from Harris Interactive surveys.
PC use in American homes has surpassed the 50-percent mark, and 90 percent of PC users are now online, according to data from Harris Interactive surveys. The surveys also found that almost half of all adults use a PC at work, and 79 percent of those users are online.
The Harris Interactive data is based on telephone surveys of more than 2,000 adults in December 1999. Among the key findings:
- The proportion of adults who use a computer at home has surpassed the 50 percent mark for the first time. This compares with only 30 percent of users in early 1996.
- The proportion of all adults who use a computer at work has reached 47 percent, compared to 38 percent in early 1996.
- A total of 69 percent of all adults use a computer at home, work, or at some other location. This figure is up from 50 percent in late 1995.
- From a total of 56 percent of all adults who use the Internet, 46 percent access the Internet from home, 37 percent access the Internet from work, and 21 percent access it from some other location.
- Three years ago, 27 percent of computer users were using the Internet. Now, 81 percent of computer users go online.
| The Growth of PC and Internet Use | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Total PC Use (%) |
PC Use from Home (%) |
PC Use at Work (%) |
Use from another location (%) |
| Dec. 99 | 69 | 51 | 47 | 26 |
| Oct. 99 | 68 | 48 | 41 | 22 |
| Aug./Sept. 99 | 66 | 46 | 41 | 23 |
| Jun./July 99 | 65 | 47 | 40 | 24 |
| April/May 99 | 65 | 45 | 41 | 20 |
| Jan/Feb. 99 | 63 | 42 | 40 | 17 |
| June/July 98 | 67 | 47 | 45 | 22 |
| March/April 98 | 66 | 44 | 45 | 23 |
| Dec. 97/Feb 98 | 62 | 39 | 41 | 23 |
| May/June 97 | 61 | 36 | 41 | NA |
| June/Sept. 96 | 54 | 30 | 38 | NA |
| Jan/April 96 | 52 | 30 | 38 | NA |
| Sept/Nov 95 | 50 | NA | NA | NA |
| Online Usage | Date | Total Online |
Online at Home |
Online at Work |
Online Other Location |
| Dec. 99 | 56 | 46 | 37 | 21 |
| Oct. 99 | 49 | 39 | 30 | 17 |
| Aug/Sept 99 | 49 | 40 | 31 | 19 |
| Jun/July 99 | 48 | 47 | 30 | 20 |
| April/May 99 | 43 | 35 | 29 | 16 |
| Jan/Feb 99 | 41 | 33 | 27 | 17 |
| Jun/July 98 | 44 | 36 | 31 | 16 |
| March/April 98 | 38 | 31 | 26 | 16 |
| Dec 97/Feb 98 | 35 | 22 | 22 | NA |
| May/June 97 | 30 | 16 | 18 | NA |
| Jun/Sept 96 | 17 | 16 | 16 | NA |
| Jan/April 96 | 14 | NA | NA | NA |
| Sept/Nov 96 | 9 | NA | NA | NA |
| Source: Harris Interactive | ||||
The most recent data was compiled from surveys conducted by telephone within the United States between December 2-7, 1999 and December 9-12, 1999, among a nationwide cross-section of adults.
