Who’s Not Online and Why

A new report from the Pew Research Center finds that as of May 2013, 15% of American adults ages 18 and older do not use the Internet or e-mail.

Asked why they do not use the Internet:

• 34% of non-Internet users think the Internet is just not relevant to them, saying they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.
• 32% of non-Internet users cite reasons tied to their sense that the Internet is not very easy to use. These non-users say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are physically unable, or they are worried about other issues such as spam, spyware, and hackers.
• 19% of non-Internet users cite the expense of owning a computer or paying for an Internet connection.
• 7% of non-users cited a physical lack of availability or access to the Internet.

Even among the 85% of adults who do go online, experiences connecting to the Internet may vary widely. For instance, even though 76% of adults use the Internet at home, 9% of adults use the Internet but lack home access. These Internet users cite many reasons for not having Internet connections at home, most often relating to issues of affordability—some 44% mention financial issues such as not having a computer, or having a cheaper option outside the home. As in previous surveys, Internet use remains strongly correlated with age, educational attainment, and household income.

One of the strongest patterns in the data on Internet use is by age group: 44% of Americans ages 65 and older do not use the Internet, and these older Americans make up almost half (49%) of non-Internet users overall. Yet while they themselves do not go online, these self-described non-Internet users often report that the Internet often touches their lives in different ways:

• 44% of offline adults have asked a friend or family member to look something up or complete a task on the Internet for them.
• 23% of offline adults live in a household where someone else uses the Internet at home, a proportion that has remained relatively steady for over a decade.
• 14% of offline adults say that they once used to use the Internet, but have since stopped for some reason.