Americans Interacting with the Internet: 2000-2015.

As Internet use inches closer to saturation among some groups, what is the adoption trend for others?

Starting in 2000, the The Pew Research Center’s unit examining the internet and society started consistently measuring how Americans adopt the internet. So far the unit has done 97 nationwide surveys involving adults who have documented the way their day-to-day life revolves around the internet in spite of various sections of society.

Various main trends arise from analyzing the data gathered over the 15 years. On one hand, Internet use is at its peak among mainly highly educated young adults, as well as those from more well- to – do households. On the other hand, Internet adoption rate had been historically lower but steadily increasing among older adults, groups with a lower level of education, and groups in the lower-income bracket. However, there are still digital gaps. Differences exist also among racial groups and communities. Although the gap has narrowed, White or English Speaking Asian-Americans are more internet users than African-Americans or Hispanics. Also, although more than 75% of persons living in rural communities are online, they are less prone to use the internet than suburban and urban residents. The gap between the percentage of female and male internet users has narrowed considerably from less that half for women in 2000 to within a 1% today. For the entire report (see here).