Internet Users Show Their Age

A higher percentage of homes with computers and Internet access were run by individuals aged 35-44 than by any other age group. That’s the finding from the “Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2003” report released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 2003, of the 35-44 age group 73.3 percent owned computers and 65.3 percent had Internet access at home. The next-highest penetration was households run by 45-54 year olds. Nearly 72 percent owned computers, and 65.1 percent of those households had Internet access.

Computer adoption among households run by 65 year olds and older was 34.7 percent; Internet adoption was 29.4 percent.

The survey finds the presence of a school-aged child (6-17 years old) influenced whether a household had a computer or Internet access. Over three-quarters of households in this group had a computer versus nearly 57 percent of households without school-aged children.

Households With Computers and Internet Access by Householder Age, October 2003
Householder Age	Households (000)	Computers in Households		Internet Access
		Number (000)	Percent Estimate	Number (000)	Percent Estimate
15 to 24	7,115	4,034	56.7	3,350	47.1
25 to 34	19,718	13,543	68.7	11,901	60.4
35 to 44	23,856	17,482	73.3	15,572	65.3
45 to 54	22,905	16,464	71.9	14,922	65.1
55 to 64	16,488	10,405	63.1	9,335	56.6
65 and over	23,044	8,005	34.7	6,773	29.4
Total households	113,126	69,912	61.8	61,852	54.7
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005

Reasons for not having Internet access in 2003 were most often: “don’t need it, not interested” (39 percent); “costs are too high” (23 percent); and “no computer or computer inadequate” (23 percent).

Census data were obtained in October 2003 from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The survey group consists of the civilian noninstitutionalized population living in the United States.