Benefits March 26, 2007

29% of US Households Don't Have, Want Internet

March 26, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Believe it or not, more than a quarter (29%) of U.S. households not only have no Internet access - they do not plan to obtain it in the next year, according to a survey released by Park Associates, a Dallas-based technology market research firm.

Reported by

Nevin E. Adams

That was only slightly less than the 34% so disinclined in the 2005 version of the firm’s National Technology Scan. The most recent version claims that the main reason potential customers say they do not subscribe to the Internet is because they are not interested in anything on the Internet (44%).

Not Sure How?

On the other hand, 17% say they aren’t sure how to use the Internet, slightly more than the 14% who say they have access at work (and therefore apparently don’t feel the need for that same access at home). Cost was a factor, with 14% saying they couldn’t afford a computer, and 8% noting they couldn’t afford Internet service. Just 3% said it wasn’t available for their home.

The National Technology Scan also found that in 2006, broadband penetration increased from 42% to 52%, with roughly one-half of new subscribers being converted dial-up users and the other half households that previously had no access.

Roughly 13% were accessing via dial-up, compared with 18% in the 2005 survey. The number currently using dial-up, but planning to upgrade remained unchanged, at 4%.